


This Is No Fairytale

by jardinsdeminuit



Series: Corrupted Blood [1]
Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Behavior, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Established Relationship, F/M, Horror, Lemon, Past Child Abuse, Sadism, Smut, Suspense, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:15:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26054797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jardinsdeminuit/pseuds/jardinsdeminuit
Summary: After several weeks living with Laito and the rest of the Sakamakis, Yui is finally starting to accept her new circumstances. That is until a stranger turns up claiming to know all about her. He promises her a chance to escape and take revenge on the vampires who have tormented her. But just how much can this man be trusted, and what's more, can she risk Laito finding out her intentions?
Relationships: Komori Yui/Sakamaki Laito, Sakamaki Laito/Reader
Series: Corrupted Blood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050755
Comments: 92
Kudos: 94





	1. The First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> After writing my last Laito fic, I can admit that I have officially fallen into Dia Hell. Since this is a Laito-centric story, I'm slapping on the non-con warning, so please take note of the tags and don't read if these kind of fics aren't your cup of tea. There will be a healthy helping of smut featured throughout.
> 
> I'm aiming for around ten chapters with this, but it could be more or less depending on how the plot goes. Please feel free to leave a comment! It's always encouraging to know there are people out there who enjoy what I write. ❤︎ (Also, I can't do titles lol.)

**PART 1**

**PREY**

Laito sits at the piano with his back to me. The lazy slump of his shoulders contradicts the discipline of his fingers, which dance skillfully across the keys. The song he's playing, classical piece I recognise but can't put a name to, is almost too cheerful to fit the mood. Moonlight streams in through the huge window behind him, illuminating the room like something out of a Gothic fairytale.

Except my life is just about as far from a fairytale as I can imagine. In the stories, the maiden is always captured by the monster, be it a troll or dragon or evil king, only to be rescued by her true love. I realised long ago that there is no knight in shining armour coming for me, no prince about to steal me away in the night. My monster has me imprisoned in his lair for good.

I close the book that I have resting on my lap. It's not like I can read in this light, anyway. At the slight noise, Laito turns his head just enough that I can make out his profile against the window, his hands not once faltering against the keys. There's another thing the storybooks got wrong. As a child, I always imagined monsters to be hideously ugly, with warty skin and claws the size of knives. Nobody told me they could be beautiful. Even in the darkness, I can tell his lips are twisted into his usual smirk, his eyes half-lidded as he watches me in his peripheral vision.

“Hey, Bitch-chan,” he says, just loud enough for me to hear him over the piano. “You're staring a lot. Why don't you come over here?”

From anyone else, the words would be an offer that I could refuse if I wanted to. But there's no refusing Laito. Placing my book on the sofa, I walk over and stand behind him. My eyes fall on his hands. His fingers are slender and almost as pale as the white keys themselves.

He stops playing suddenly and turns to face me. I have to fight the instinct to pull away as he takes my hand in his and holds it against his nose. Green eyes stare up at me.

“What did you think of the song?”

“It was lovely,” I say. For once, I don't have to lie, though the way his gaze pierces me makes me believe I've said something wrong.

Laito closes his eyes a moment and inhales the scent of my knuckles. My heart jumps, just like it always does when he's this close, making him chuckle softly.

“What's the matter?” he whispers. “Did I do something to scare you?”

He wants me to deny it. I've learnt how his game works now. From this distance, he's able to pick up every little change in my body – the quickening of my pulse, the shakiness of my breaths, despite how I fight to keep them even. He knows the effect he has on me, and he loves it.

His tongue darts out of his mouth to trace a line up the back of my hand. From this angle, I can't see the fangs that lurk behind his upper lip, though I can feel their presence keenly. He plants a kiss at the base of my wrist, then pauses.

“Hm?” At last, he opens his eyes. “Is this...” He sniffs the skin, turns my hand over and does the same to the other side.

“What's wrong?” I ask.

“You have a strange scent about you.” Before I can stop him, he pulls he forward sharply. For a moment, I think I'm going to hit the piano, but Laito spins me around so that I'm sat on his lap, my back pressed against his chest. One hand snakes around my waist to hold me in place while the other wraps in my head and jerks my head back to that he can smell my neck.

“And yet I can't detect anything up here.” His breath tickles my ear. “Why do you think that is?”

“I-I don't know,” I stammer.

Except I do.

*

I'd been walking back to the mansion when I noticed him.

At first, I didn't know why he'd caught my eye. He was in his late twenties, perhaps, with cropped brown hair, thin cheeks and casual black clothes. His face was neither handsome nor ugly, the kind of face that you forgot the moment you looked away. No, the reason he'd caught my eye was that he was staring straight at me.

I gulped and clutched my shopping bag harder in my hand. It was rare that the brothers let me out on my own. Small trips to town like this were usually off the table if nobody was around to accompany me, though today, for whatever reason, I'd managed to convince them to get me go. It wasn't as if I had anywhere else to run to. I'd enjoyed the hour I'd spent walking around shops alone, trying on new clothes and rifling through bric-a-brac in second-hand shops. In the end, the only thing I'd bought was a new book, a mystery novel I'd heard my classmates at school talking about. The woman who'd sold it to me had smiled and told me how much she liked my scarf. I'd been so touched by her compliment that for a few seconds, I'd forgotten what I was using it to cover up.

As I reached the corner of the street, I turned and looked behind me again. The man's eyes were still fixed on me. He wasn't even trying to hide his interest. Before coming to live with the Sakamakis, I'd received my fair share of looks from men, most of them unwanted, as was the unfortunate case for just about every young woman in the world. Yet there was something particularly unsettling about this man. I felt as though he were looking beneath my skin, into my core and the secrets I held there.

I sped up my pace as I turned into the next street. Fortunately, this one was busier and lined with shops that were still open at this time of night. If I followed this street, it would take me to the edge of town, and then it was a twenty-minute walk along the forested road that took me back to the mansion. It was that lonely stretch of the journey that bothered me. What if the man turned out to be a stalker who waited until I was alone, then dragged me between the trees?

I scoffed as I pushed those thoughts from my head. Here I was, returning to a mansion full of vampires who even now, after almost two months of living with them, were determined to make my life a living hell, and I was worrying about a single human man?

I'd almost reached the end of the street when I saw him again, walking straight towards me. My breath hitched in my throat. He must have taken another route around so that he could find me again. Subconsciously, I moved closer to the young couple by my side and averted my eyes, trying to look anywhere but directly at him.

As he passed, he grabbed me by the wrist. I raised my bag, ready to swing my book into the side of his head, only to realise he wasn't trying to drag me away. He simply wanted me to stop.

Time seemed to grind to a halt as our eyes met. A deep uneasiness filled me as once again, I felt his gaze boring into me. It wasn't like being around the brothers. Looking into Laito's eyes, for example, was like facing up to a mountain lion that could just as easily decide to bat you around a bit with its claws as bite your head off in one. This man's eyes, on the other hand, were like a void: dark, endless and all-knowing.

“I can help you,” he said in a soft, smooth voice.

“Help?” I whispered.

“You're in danger. I can tell. Let me help you.” His gaze never faltered from mine, even when I ripped my hand away from his.

“I'm fine.” I took a step back, almost bumping into a woman, who gave me an irritated look as she swerved to avoid me.

The smallest hint of a smile pulled at the man's otherwise emotionless face. He turned and walked in the direction he'd been heading when he'd approached, only glancing back at me over his shoulder once before disappearing into the crowds.

For several seconds, I just stood there, trying to make sense of the situation. Whoever this man was, it seemed he knew about my imprisonment, assuming that was the 'danger' he was talking about. But how? Did he know one of the Sakamakis personally, or had he been watching me secretly? A chill ran down my spine. Whatever the truth behind the situation, I couldn't exactly go back and tell the brothers what had happened. My best bet would be to forget this had ever happened and move on.

Besides, I wanted nothing more at that moment than to wipe the memory of those eyes from my mind.

“Hey, Miss.”

I turned around to see a waiter from one of the nearby restaurants standing in front of me, a concerned expression on his face.

“I saw what happened with that man. Are you okay?”

“Oh.” I flashed him the most convincing smile I could manage. “I'm fine, thank you. He thought I was one of his friends by mistake.”

The waiter frowned, clearly not convinced, though he decided not to say anything else about it. Just as he was about to walk away, I called out to him again. “My mobile ran out of battery earlier on and I live outside of town. Would it be okay to use the restaurant telephone to call a taxi?” Of course, I couldn't tell him that the brothers refused to let me have my own mobile phone.

He nodded. “I'll have to check with the manager, but it should be fine.”

I sighed in relief. At least now I wouldn't have to walk the stretch of road on my own.

“Thanks,” I said, and followed him.

*

Laito looks up sharply from my hand, as if someone's calling for him. A few seconds later, I hear it, too.

“Oi, Laito.” Ayato raps twice on the door. “Are you coming, or what? Shu's already dropped out, and I think Subaru and Reiji are going to start tearing each other to pieces soon.”

It takes me a moment to realise he's talking about some kind of game. Now that I think about it, I remember them talking about a billiards tournament earlier on.

Without taking his eyes off me, Laito calls out, “What makes you think I can stop them from fighting?”

“I don't care about stopping them. I thought you'd want to come along and watch.”

Laito smirks up at me. “Looks like you were saved by the bell, Bitch-chan.” He kisses my knuckles, then lets me pull my hand away, stands up and stretches. “What do you say? Shall we even out the teams? Not that the thought of you bent over the billiards table as you take a shot isn't incentive enough for me to persuade you.” His fingers brush my bare thighs.

I resist the urge to pull away. “Sure, we can play together.” At least if I'm around the other brothers, too, Laito will be less tempted to try anything funny.

“Excellent.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me forcibly to the door.

It's not as if I have another choice, anyway.


	2. Behind Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always try and edit out / adapt honorifics when it comes to fanfiction about Japanese media, but Laito's nickname is just so iconic at this point it seems wrong to replace it. Enjoy the second chapter!

“Aw, this is boring.”

Ayato scoffs at his brother. “What are you talking about? _You're_ the one who wanted to come here in the first place.”

“True, but I didn't realise they'd take so long.” Laito leans back in his chair and tilts his head back, drawing the irritated glances of a few people sitting nearby. “I'm starving.”

“It's only been ten minutes,” I remind him softly.

“Oh? Have you been keeping count, Bitch-chan?” Laito turns his smile on me. “You know, if you're _really_ concerned about me going hungry, there's always something you can do.”

I roll my eyes and resist the urge to kick him under the table. At least out in public, he's unlikely to try anything dangerous.

I've walked past this cafe several times before, but never actually been inside. It's fairly large, with brown brick walls and Victorian-style décor. Even after sunset, it's packed with people. I look around the room my gaze falls on a young couple sitting in the corner. They seem to be in their late teens, like me. The woman grins as her boyfriend steals a strawberry from his ice cream, then takes a spoonful of his as revenge. At the next table, a pair of high school girls giggle over their phones.

I sigh despite myself. They all seem so happy, so _normal_ , that just looking at them is enough to make me feel a stab of longing.

“Hey.” The sound of something sharp in front of my face breaks me from my thoughts. Ayato is snapping his fingers before my nose. “Are you staring at something or just zoning out?”

Laito glances at the high school girls. A strange look, almost like anger, clouds his eyes, but before I can work it out, his usual smirk returns.

“Of course, Bitch-chan would rather be sitting with _us_ than over there. We're the best friends she's ever had.” As he speaks, Laito places his hand on mine on top of the table and runs the nail of his thumb along the soft flesh below my little finger.

His voice is smooth, but I can sense the danger underneath. The message is clear: I will never, ever be like them.

“Sorry for the wait!”

The waitress arrives with a plate in each hand. Laito jabs his nail into my hand before pulling away, giving the woman space to place a sundae in front of each of us. I thank her, glad for the distraction.

“I'll be back with yours in a moment,” she says to Ayato.

My sundae is raspberry with white chocolate chips. It'll be the first thing I've eaten all day. I didn't think I'd be hungry when it arrived, but looking down at it, I realise just how empty my stomach feels.

Leaning his chin onto his hand, Laito giggles softly at his brother. “Looks like Bitch-chan's not the only one staring.”

I hadn't realised it before, but now that Laito's mentioned it, Ayato does seem to be gazing at the waitress a lot. He turns back, and for a moment I think he's going to scold him, but he only snorts. “What do you care?”

Laito watches the waitress fetch the final order from the counter. She's pretty in a tomboy-ish way, with short dark hair and slim curves.

Only then do I realise what the pair of them are talking about. A horror rises in the pit of my stomach.

Laito clicks his tongue. “You know I don't care. It's just funny to watch you. Almost like you're in _love_.” He draws out the last word like a child taunting their friend.

“'Funny', you say?” Ayato growls, though before they can continue their bickering, the waitress returns.

“Here you go, Sir,” she says in what is obviously an overly-high voice she reserves for customers. Ayato's eyes linger on her slender hands. I want to tell her to get out of here, to drop everything and run as far away as possible. But of course, the moment I open my mouth, I'll not only have to face whatever punishment the brothers plan for me later on, but almost certainly doom her for spilling their secret.

Once we're alone again, Laito is the first to dig into his ice cream. It's always seemed strange that the vampires can eat regular human food as well as blood. I suspect it's something that they do for fun instead of nourishment, a way to fit in with the world around them. I've seen Laito go for days without food.

“Aren't you going to eat?” he asks me.

I look down at my sundae again. Suddenly, I don't feel hungry anymore. My eyes flick to the waitress, who's busy serving another table.

Nevertheless, I pick up my spoon and scoop up some ice cream. The pink mark from Laito's nail is still there on the side of my hand. I stare at the pink blob on my spoon for a moment before putting it in my mouth.

“Good,” says Laito, eyes narrowing as he smiles. His voice is as sickly sweet as the ice cream.

*

Half an hour later, we're walking down the street, Ayato in front, Laito and I a little behind. The hand around my shoulder has never felt more like a manacle than right now.

“I don't want to go home, but I don't know what to do,” Laito complains.

“Yeah, 'cause this town is shit,” Ayato snaps back.

“It isn't shit, we've just lived here for too long.”

Up ahead on the left, a tall building with glaring white neon lights catches my eye. Without thinking, I blurt out,“What about that?”

Laito turns his head. “The arcade? I don't see why not...” He looks at Ayato, who snorts moodily.

“Whatever.”

The moment we go inside, we're greeted by flashing colours and loud music. Like all children growing up, I used to come to arcades like this all the time with my friends, though only now do I realise it's been several years since I last stepped foot in one. This floor seems to mainly have claw machines and little luck-based games designed to burn through coins.

“Look at that one!” Laito grabs me by the hand and drags me over to a machine displaying animal-themed toys. He looks them over with such a grin on his face, anyone looking over would think he's never seen a soft toy before. “How about I try and win you one of those?”

Before I can tell him it's okay, he's already placed a coin inside the slot. I suppose the little toys _are_ kind of cute.

In rare moments like this, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we're just a normal couple out on a date. But there's no love between Laito and I – at least, not in the traditional sense. I accepted long ago that he never has and never will see me as more than a toy. To him, I have the same worth as the little creatures with big, black eyes arranged in the glass box before us.

Sometimes, I think he only brings me out in public like this to taunt me. Just like when he caught me staring at the high school girls earlier, he likes to remind me that this is a world I will never again be a part of. Not while I'm his possession. I haven't hung out with friends my age for months. I don't even have a mobile phone. Cut off from the outside world, I've gradually spiralled into his clutches.

I know I should be more concerned at how easily I've given in. A part of me wants to continue resisting him. But it's simpler this way. No matter whether I fight or bow my head, Laito will always find a way to make my life hell. Isn't it better, then, to try and find the warmth in his cruel embraces, to fool myself into believing that every time he hurts me or insults me or makes me scream, it's because deep down, he loves me?

I try not to think about how desperate that sounds. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that I'm better off accepting things as they are instead of trying to analyse them. The moment I stop and consider my life here too deeply, I find myself plummeting into an even deeper state of misery. Best to take the moments as they come and cling to whatever happiness I can.

Like now, for example. Watching Laito get frustrated at the claw game, I can't help but smile. I'm so engrossed with his progress, in fact, that I don't recognise the man walking behind me until he brushes my shoulder.

“Excuse me, please.”

The moment I turn around, I feel the blood drain from my face. Towering over me is the man who grabbed my wrist in the street. It's been four days since I ran into him. I'd almost forgotten our encounter.

And yet how could I let those piercing eyes slip my mind?

I force myself to step forward, allowing him to pass through. Apparently too deep in his game to notice the change in my heart rate, Laito snatches me by the arm and places my hand on the level that controls the claw.

“Here, have a go. You'll probably have better luck than me.”

He slips another coin into the machine and stands beside me. I aim for one of the toys, a little golden lion, and begin to move the claw, though my attention keeps on shifting to the man, who mills around at the end of the aisle, pretending to look at the games while glancing back every few seconds.

How has he managed to find me here? Unless it's just a coincidence... No, that's impossible. He must have been waiting for me in town and followed me here. The thought shocks me, but for once, I'm glad I have Laito and Ayato here with me.

“Too bad. You're awful at this.”

I turn back to the game to see the claw rises after an unlucky dive. I hadn't even realised I'd pressed the button.

“Perhaps you were distracted by someone.” Laito watches the man out of the corner of his eye. Despite the smile on his face, I can tell he's agitated beneath. “A friend of yours?”

“Who?” I do my best to pretend I haven't noticed the man looking at me. “I've never seen him before.”

“Well, he's pissing me off.” Depositing another coin, Laito stands behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Try again.”

His voice drops low enough that it turns the otherwise simple order into one I'm afraid to refuse. While I'm lining up the claw a second time, he bends over me and presses his lips to my neck.

“We're in public.” I try to struggle, but he only laughs.

“So I noticed.”

It's not hard to see through his game. He wants to show the stranger that I'm his, a hunter displaying his prey for all the world to see. Knowing Laito, the thrill of asserting even the slightest bit of dominance here is more than equal to the irritation of having another man stare at me like a piece of meat.

With a grimace, the man disappears into another aisle. Laito smirks triumphantly and releases his grip on my waist.

“You lost again.” He hums as the claw makes another empty ascent. “You really are having bad luck today, aren't you?”

*

The sun is just about to rise as I get ready to sleep. Sitting on the edge of my four poster bed beside the dog toy Ayato had won for me earlier on today, I run a brush through my hair and stare out of the window at the violet sky.

Ever since the arcade, my mind has been racing with thoughts of the stranger. Seeing him again had confirmed my worst fear: he was definitely some kind of stalker. Did it make a difference that Laito had spotted him? From his reaction, he most likely believed him to be of no consequences, a random person who had shown me interest in the moment. With any luck, it'll stay that way. Because whenever I think about him, that same shiver runs down my spine, and I can almost feel his gaze burning into me again.

 _You're in danger. I can tell. Let me help you._ I'm still trying to work out what those words mean. If he's talking about the Sakamakis, then why didn't he do something at the arcade when he had the chance? Why wait by chance for me to come out into town again?

I drop the hairbrush into my lap and place my head into my hands. As if I don't already have enough in my life to worry about.

I'm just about to pull back the sheets when I hear a knock on the door.

“Give me a moment,” I call out.

“Boo,” Laito says dryly when I open the door to him.

Of course, I hardly expect anyone else nowadays, but I still don't want to see him. “I was just about to go to sleep.”

“Well, I'm not tired.” He takes a step into the room, forcing me back, and closes the door behind him.

Alone together, it's impossible to stop the sudden lurch of my heart. Laito's eyes sparkle with a familiar menace, one that means he's either planning to strike me or push me down onto the bed.

He raises a hand, and I flinch, making him laugh. He places it against my face, thumb brushing my cheek. Then he leans forward into me and pecks me on the lips.

“Laito, I—”

He cuts me off with another kiss, but this one is longer, more forceful. His tongue brushes against my lips, and then it's pushing forward, demanding entry to my mouth. I have no choice but to yield. For a few seconds, all thoughts of sleep and getting him to leave flee my mind. I am swallowed up in the sudden embrace.

Only when my back hits the door does he break the kiss. Somehow, he's managed to swap our places and force me back. His arms create a cage around me.

“Say, Bitch-chan,” he says, his voice full of teasing humour. “I have a question.”

My head is still spinning for the kiss, so it makes me freeze even harder when he places his lips to my ear and whispers, “You wouldn't be hiding anything from me, would you?”


	3. Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like ages since I last updated! For some reason, this chapter took ages to write. I think it's because nailing the dynamic of Laito and Yui's relationship is something I want to get right from the beginning, at least in this story. Outside of Diabolik Lovers, I've never written about this kind of power balance, so it's really interesting as a writer to explore something out of my comfort zone like this. After all, at the end of the day, this series is a train wreck of abusive and emotionally damaged characters, but I think that's what makes it so interesting to pick apart.  
> Thank you to all readers so far! ❤︎

Laito stares at me with sharp green eyes, the curve of his mouth halfway between a smile and a sneer.

“Of course I wouldn't hide anything,” I say, a little too quickly.

Instead of indicating whether he believes me or not, Laito takes his hand and presses his fingertips against my chest.

“There it is again,” he mutters. “Your pulse is racing, just like at the arcade. Just like... when that stranger was staring at you.”

I try as hard as I can to stop myself from panicking, but that only makes my heart race faster. I know I'm playing a dangerous game. What would Laito do if I told him about my last meeting with the man and what he'd said to me? Of course, he'd be furious. I'd probably receive some kind of punishment for not having been honest from the beginning. But surely it would be safer than keeping it a secret?

“Something about him made my skin crawl. I don't like being stared at.”

I can't tell him. Chances are I'll never see the man again in my life, and I can't risk Laito finding out I kept a secret from him. I only hope he believes my act.

“Did he make you feel afraid?” Laito tilts his head to one side.

“A little,” I say.

“More than me?”

A chill runs down my spine at his words. I try to push his hand off me, but he grabs me by the wrist and twists my arm, making me cry out. He giggles.

“The thought of anyone instilling more fear in my Bitch-chan than me is just... disgusting. You could say I'm a little jealous.” He pushes his head forward again, but this time his mouth dips lower, lips brushing the base of my neck. “Then again, the thought of having two men fight over you probably turns you on, doesn't it?”

“Laito, you're reading far too much into this,” I murmur, but that only makes him laugh again.

“Convince me, then. Prove to me that I'm the one who owns you.”

I've always hated when he talks about me like I'm his object. Right from the start he's made it clear that to him, I'm no more than a body for him to torment and ravish and drain of blood. Even when we're out doing activities like a normal couple, it's all just an act. He's constantly watching me, observing how I react with the world so that he can use it against me later on when we're alone.

I still often wonder to myself how I ended up as Laito's. It wasn't a conscious decision, by any means (as if I would ever have a choice in what happens to me within these walls). All the brothers have been vicious to me at some point, but Laito always found a way to be worse. As the days went on and his possessiveness reached terrifying new heights, the other brothers dropped away one by one, as if deciding I wasn't worth the effort to pursue, allowing Laito to claim me completely.

As he loosens his grip on my wrist, I pull my hand free and place it on his shoulder. The coppery red waves of his hair brush the back of my knuckles. Slowly, I lean forward and kiss him on the lips.

“I'm yours,” I whisper.

For a moment, Laito's expression softens. Then he frowns and says, in a dangerously low voice, “Liar.”

Before I can protest, he's grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me back against the wall. He slips his knee between mine, pinning me in place with his thigh. I try to push him off, but he's too strong.

“Hm, that's what I thought.” The amusement has returned to his voice. “Surely something that belonged to me wouldn't try to fight me off. It seems you still have some learning to do.”

His hand wraps in my hair, twists it once and pulls it taut, exposing my neck. I know I'll never win by fighting back, but that doesn't stop me from trying to shove him off again. He doesn't flinch. I might as well be pushing against a boulder.

“Shall we practise? Let's say, for example... you let me suck your blood without resisting. _Then_ we'll see if you remember who you belong to.” He smiles innocently. “How does that sound?”

I have no choice but to nod. It's easier to just let him have his way in these situations. With any luck, he'll get bored of my compliance and leave once he's had a taste of my blood.

Even so, I can't help the sudden lurch of my heart as he leans into my neck and inhales. “I can smell your blood through your skin when I'm this close. It's truly intoxicating.” He trails the tip of his tongue from my collar all the way up to my ear, his breaths turning shallow with excitement.

Then he bites into me.

I can't stifle the whimper that escapes my throat at the sudden sharp pain. Laito's fangs are razors slicing into my skin. I wrap my fingers into his shirt and squeeze as he laps up the blood that leaks from the wound.

“Come on, no crying out, now. You wouldn't want the whole mansion knowing you're secretly turned on by this, would you?” he whispers before returning to suck.

As if to test his theory, his hand leaves my shoulder and slides up my thigh and beneath my underwear. His middle finger brushes my opening, already wet despite myself.

I hate that my body reacts this way to him, that deep down, I crave this pain more than anything. Perhaps, like so many aspects of my life nowadays, it's a defence mechanism: only by turning this torment into something beautiful can I pretend to have some kind of control over it. And yet I can't help but melt at his touch, my knees trembling as he pushes the tip of his finger inside me.

With a gasp, Laito pulls away from my neck. “You're delicious, Bitch-chan. I could drink you forever.” He removes his hand from my underwear and slides his middle finger into my mouth. It feels so wrong, tasting myself in his skin, but that doesn't stop me from wrapping my tongue around his fingertip and groaning.

“I suppose that's what draws me to you the most,” he whispers. “You act so innocently around everyone else, but deep down, you've become worse than us all. You're _corrupted_.”

Something about that word and the way it slides off his tongue like a curse makes me shiver. In a moment of clarity, I look at him and frown. If I'm corrupted, then it's because he's made me this way by design. So why does it feel like an accusation?

Suddenly, I don't want to be here. I try to push him off yet again, but Laito, either oblivious to my struggles or not caring enough to react, lowers his lips to my collarbone. I only have a moment to flinch before he bites down.

I shriek as his fangs graze my bone. While I wouldn't say I'm used to him biting me, it's a lot easier to deal with the pain when it's somewhere soft, like my neck or my leg. This, though, is a new level of agony. It feels like someone's poured lava onto my chest and left it to burn me from the inside out.

My fingers snatch at Laito's hair, his shirt, anything I can get a hold of to try and pull him off me. He's trying to make this hurt as much as he can. Maybe it's still a part of his stupid game. Not that I care anymore. I just want him to stop.

With all the strength I can muster, I swing my knee up into him. I hit the top of his thigh instead of his groin, which I was aiming for, but it's enough to stagger him. I use the precious moment to finally shove him back.

Laito laughs softly. “So, it seems you're still intent upon defying me.” When he lifts his head, I see that his lips are shining with blood.

“Y-you hurt me,” I pant, shocked my how weak my voice sounds. My collar still burns. Looking down, I'm horrified to see that instead of leaving his usual twin puncture marks, he's torn up the skin around the bone with his fangs, dyeing my shoulder and a large section of my nightdress red. I might as well have been attacked by a wild cat.

Laito runs his thumb along his bottom lip and sucks it. “That's because you're mine to hurt.”

I mentally take back everything I thought earlier. The desire to be hurt by him has fled, replaced with a cold fear that tightens around my insides. What stands before me is an animal stripped of all humanity, a demon who stares at me with icy green eyes, my blood staining his face.

I shoot a glance at the door. If I'm fast enough, I might just make it out in time. Pushing off from the wall, I lunge towards freedom. But of course, it isn't enough. Laito grabs me by the wrist and jerks me back. I scream as he drags me to the bed and shoves me down onto my front.

“How conceited to assume that anyone in this mansion would care enough about you to come and save you.” Laito digs his hands into my shoulders, pinning me down beneath his weight. “And since you failed my little test, I suppose that means I'll have to find another way to make you mine.”

Switching his weight to his shoulders, he takes the back of my nightdress in both hands and tears it open.

“I never thought I'd say this, but your screams are getting a little annoying. If you don't stop, I'll hurt you again, and believe me, there are places I can bite you that'll make your collarbone feel like floating on a lake on a summer's day.”

Laito grabs my hips and pulls me back a little so that I'm bent over the bed. I grip the sheets in my hands and close my eyes, bracing myself for what's to come. There's no point in fighting him anymore. No matter what I do, he'll always win, and right now, he has me pinned exactly where he wants me. I wish more than anything that I could just zone out until the end, but with Laito, that will never be possible. He's going to make sure that I feel everything as vividly as possible, every touch, every bite, every ounce of pain he inflicts upon me.

Leaning down to press his mouth to my ear, he whispers, “Of course, I might just decide to hurt you anyway. After all, what's romance without a little suspense?” I can hear his unbuttoning his trousers with the one hand that isn't holding me down. “Don't worry, Bitch-chan. I'm going to show you _exactly_ who you belong to.”

*

Once it's over and Laito's left, I crawl under the covers and curl up in a ball. My eyes still sting from the tears I've cried and my body aches, but at least I can rest knowing that for the next few hours, I probably won't be disturbed again.

Even beneath the covers, I can sense the dawn light streaming through the window. I should get up and close the curtains, but I don't want to move.

 _You're corrupted._ Laito's words repeat themselves over and over in my mind. He's always made a show of his perversions, displaying them in front of his brothers like a point of pride. Could it be that he's planning to make me like him, only to throw me away the moment he gets bored of me?

I ball my hands into fists. While I may occasionally enjoy his torment, I am _nothing_ like him.

So why do I feel so dirty? Is it because I didn't fight back in the end? Because when he was holding me down, I still moaned his name? Or is it because after all the pain he's inflicted on me, the nights I've spent curled beneath the sheets like this, I'll still crawl back into his arms?

I press my forearm over my eyes and screw up my face, trying to hold back another barrage of tears. It's best not to think too much. The more I think, the more I go around in circles and risk losing my sanity in the process. Tomorrow, I'll clean up my wounds and pretend that none of this ever happened, just like the last time and the time before that. It's easier that way.

Hugging my knees to my chest, I close my eyes and try to think of nothing until sleep takes me.


	4. The Visitor

The moon hides behind a thick layer of cloud, transforming the sky into an oppressive pitch-coloured blanket that looks like it might fall to earth at any moment. I shiver despite my winter coat and scarf as I kneel at the edge of the damp lawn and tend to the flowerbed in front of me.

Illuminated by the Victorian-style oil lamp at my side, I pass the scissors over the purple heather between my fingers, trimming back any dead stalks where I find them. This patch of flowers is more or less the only one blooming in the whole garden. Everything else has either overgrown by or withered away. Luckily, I managed to save this stretch a couple of weeks after moving in with the Sakamakis, and I've been coming out here to tend to it every few days since.

I've tried to keep myself busy since waking up so as not to let Laito's words get to me. Alone out here, though, I can feel my thoughts closing in on me like a black fog. I shake my head and try to concentrate on the heather. It has to be perfect if it's going to survive the rest of the winter. Any dead flowers will take up energy the plant needs to survive, so nothing but the best is allowed to remain.

Before I know it, I'm staring at the scissors in my hand. The blades catch the light of the lamp.

_Corrupted._

Why is it that after everything he's done to me, my mind keeps on returning to _that_ word?

It's not like he hasn't called me worse. Bitch. Whore. Tease. Up until last night, I thought I'd reached a point where nothing he could say would hurt me.

Clearly, I was mistaken.

I run my finger along one each of the scissor blades. They've become a little blunt with age, but I bet if I really wanted to, I could use them to hurt myself. It's not like I haven't considered it before. Yet even when things are at their worst, when Laito's torment becomes near unbearable, it's never more than a fleeting thought. Something always brings me back from the edge, whether it's the hope of eventually freeing myself from this place or knowing that even in the darkest times, there's always something beautiful to be found.

Take this heather, for example. My fingers are white with the cold, and the dew on the grass has soaked through to my knees, but the joy of tending to these plants, pruning them and watching them flourish while everything else withers around them, is enough to bring me joy. I know my positivity can't go on forever. One day I'll crack under the pressure. But until then, I'm content to appreciate moments like these, the quiet periods I have to myself when I don't have to worry about being harassed. Not that I wouldn't put it past one of the brothers to be watching me silently from a window right now. After all, privacy is an illusion on these grounds. So long as I'm left alone, I don't care.

Would Laito even care if I ended my life? Most likely he'd mourn my loss no more than a child crying over a broken toy. Then he'd find someone else to prey upon. It's not like I'm the first, or even the hundredth human he's taken. He's probably had countless women prettier than me, women who bent to his will without resistance the moment he snapped his fingers...

I sit back on my calves. Is that a hint of jealousy I feel? Does the thought of Laito being with another woman really bother me enough to make me pause? I'm not sure whether to pity myself or feel disgusted.

The sound of rustling ahead makes me look up. On the other side of the flowerbed, beyond the gravel path, the forest marks the edge of the garden. Of course, it's hard to see anything in the darkness, though that doesn't stop me from straining my eyes to search for the source of the sound.

“Hello?” I call out.

No answer. It's probably just an animal scuffling about, but I want to be sure. A look over my shoulder tells me that there's nobody approaching me across the lawn – at least, as far as I can tell by the light of the mansion.

Something hits the gravel nearby. Snatching up the lamp, I leap to my feet and raise my hand, casting the light in a larger circle. My breath creates ice clouds in the air.

“If you're trying to scare me, it's not working,” I say in as firm a voice as I can manage.

I remember the scissors lying in the soil and quickly bend down to snatch them up. As I straighten, my back touches something hard. A pair of arms closes around me. With a gasp of shock, I twist away and raise the scissors in defence. The lamp slips from my hand and lands on the grass. Without thinking, I step back onto it, smashing the glass. I reach for it, but the oil is already spilling out, dousing the flame, plunging my surroundings into darkness.

“Stop.”

I can tell at once that the voice doesn't belong to one of the brothers, but it isn't completely foreign to me, either. Taking another step back, I realise I've reached the edge of the flowerbed and am about to trample the heathers. I stop and hold the scissors high like a blade, ready to strike should I be grabbed again.

“W-who are you?” I ask.

“It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you.” The voice is surprisingly gentle despite its deep tone.

“Just tell me who you are,” I snap.

There's a rustle, like something being taken out of a pocket. Then the _snap_ of a lighter and a spark. On the second try, a flame leaps out of the darkness, illuminating a familiar face.

“It's you,” I gasp.

The man from town nods once before extinguishing the light. “It's me.”

To say I'm shocked seeing him here would be an understatement, but I still try to keep my voice level as I ask, “Are you a vampire?”

“No. My name is Kazue Handa. I'm a vampire hunter.”

 _Handa..._ The name doesn't ring any bells. More interesting, though, is the second thing he said. “A vampire hunter. Does that make you some kind of demon?”

“Not in the way you think. Please don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you.” He reaches out to touch my shoulder, but I pull away.

The side of my index finger is stinging. Despite not being able to see in the dark, I can tell it's bleeding. I must have cut it when I reached for the lamp. I bring it to my mouth and suck off the blood, surprised at how icy my finger feels against the warmth of my mouth.

“You're here to kill the Sakamakis,” I whisper. The revelation should bring me relief, but for some reason, I only feel a growing dread in the pit of my stomach.

“Only if you want me to. The Sakamakis are purebloods, which gives them something close to immunity among my kind, so long as they stick to certain rules. No, my target is you, Yui.”

“T-target?” I grip the scissors harder in my hand. If I need to, I'm sure I'll be able to stab this man in self-defence. After all, I've fought back against the brothers before.

“Yes. Not to kill, but to save you.”

“I don't need saving,” I snap without thinking.

“Really?” Handa's voice rises a little, as if he's angry. “You live in a mansion with six vampires who make it their life goal to torment you. When you go out in public, you wear a scarf so people can't see your bite marks. Please explain to me how that's any kind of life.”

My hand drifts to my neck as I remember Laito biting down on my collarbone yesterday and the marks left behind. I want to argue with him, but something stops me from opening my mouth. Isn't this what I wanted? To be taken away from this place?

And yet I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong about all this. It seems too... convenient. Vampire hunter or not, I'm not about to throw all my trust in with this man.

“Why do you care?” I ask.

Handa clicks his tongue. “Perhaps I shouldn't. I'd say I pity you, but that would be wrong. I admire you, Yui. Not many people would be able to go through what you have and still be standing. But we all need a push sometimes, don't we? Well, consider this yours. Let me take you away from all this.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off. “You don't have to give me your answer now. “Here.” He reaches into his pocket, takes out something and gives it to me. I turn it over in my hands. It's a paper sachet, slightly smaller than a pocket notebook.

“What's this?”

“A special blend of herbs. Vampire hunters have been using them for years. It's not a poison, but if you give them to a vampire, it'll knock them out. You can put it in a tea, or if that's not possible, mix it with your own blood. It won't change the taste, but it'll have the same effect for anyone that drinks enough of it.”

“I can't take this.” I try to shove the sachet back into his hands. “If one of them catches me with something like this—”

“So, hide it. Surely you have a place?”

“Of course... Okay. Thank you.” I sigh. While I'm not keen on the idea of turning myself into walking anaesthesia, I pocket the sachet anyway.

“Good.” With a nod, he turns to leave. “I'll be waiting for your answer, Yui.”

“Wait.” I reach out and grab him by the sleeve. “Say if I take you up on your offer... How do I find you again?”

For the first time, I detect a hint of humour in Handa's voice. “I don't think it's a case of 'if' rather than 'when', but suit yourself. The choice is yours. When you decide you've had enough, I'll be waiting.” He pulls his sleeve free.

“What do you mean? I need to know how to find you. Mr Handa, wait...”

I step forward to try and catch him again, but he's disappeared into the night.

*

I'm shivering as I arrive back at the mansion. The entrance hall is freezing as always, the result of the brothers having little to no perception of heat. After dropping off the scissors in the kitchen and binning the shards of the lamp (hiding them deep down, just in case someone finds them and gets angry at me having broken it), I decide to head up to my room to change.

Kazue Handa. It seems like such a normal name for someone who claims to be what he is. Before today, I'd never even considered that vampire hunters might exist, and now my mind is full of questions I'm unlikely to ever find the answer for. It's not like I can just waltz up to one of the brothers and ask without them getting suspicious.

“Oi.”

The sudden voice breaks me from my thoughts. I backtrack a few paces to an open doorway. The room is so dark that it takes me a moment to pick out the figure lying on the sofa beneath the window, his red eyes trained on me.

“Come here,” Subaru snaps. “I want to talk to you.”


	5. Dark Room

“S-Subaru?”

“Are you deaf? I told you to get over here.”

He sits up on the sofa as I approach. It's hard to see his face in the darkness, but I can tell from the tilt of his head that he's agitated. That can only mean one thing.

He's seen me talking to Handa.

Why else would he be calling me over? He's been sitting by the window all this time, after all. While I'm not sure just how sharp vampire senses are, there's no doubt in my mind that would have been able to pick out a second figure standing in the dark space at the bottom of the garden had he been looking out of the window at the time.

He holds out a hand, palm upwards. “You're bleeding. Let me see.”

“I'm fine, honestly—”

“ _Now._ ”

The harshness of his voice makes me offer him my hand at once. He holds it in his for a moment, his thumb pulling my finger aside so he can see the cut. My heart pounds in my throat.

“How did you do this?”

“I broke the lamp I was using.”

“Idiot,” Subaru grunts, though thankfully, most of the anger has drained from him. The blood on my finger has dried, but it doesn't stop my breath from hitching when he rubs his thumb along the wound. “You can't walk around like this. You know how some of them get when they smell blood.”

I nod. Out of all the brothers, Subaru has always been the one who's shown me anything resembling kindness, even if it's often buried in several layers of bad temper. That's not to say I trust him. He's a predator like the rest of them, after all.

Before I can stop him, he lifts my hand and clamps his mouth over my wound. His tongue laps up the dried blood. I try not to wince. He's doing me a favour – vampire saliva speeds up the healing process of wounds – but that doesn't stop it from stinging like hell.

To distract myself, I look out of the window. I can only see as far as the fountain, which shimmers eerily in the low light. If Subaru saw me with Handa, he's being quiet about it. Perhaps he intends to tell his brothers instead of confronting me directly. Either way, the uncertainty is nauseating. I decide to try and force it out of him, even if it means I risk exposing myself.

“Subaru,” I mumble through gritted teeth. “You've been sitting by this window for a while. Did you see where I dropped the lantern?”

He raises his head and tuts. “Course I didn't. Why do you want to know?”

“Oh, it's nothing. I think I dropped something out of my pocket when I went to pick it up. No matter. I can look when the sun's up.”

“Whatever.”

It's apparent from his disinterested tone that he's telling the truth. I let out a silent breath of relief.

Subaru lets go of my hand, allowing me to pull it back. The cut will take a few hours to heal, but at least it's no longer bleeding. He's right about one thing: walking around the mansion with an open wound is asking for trouble.

He tuts again and turns his head away sharply, signalling that he's done with talking. I'm about to leave when I quickly ask, “Do you know where Laito and the others are?”

“How would I know if I've been sitting in here, huh?” Subaru snaps, forcing me to take a step back. “Don't you think—”

He's cut off by a knock on the door. I spin to see a familiar figure leaning his elbow against the frame.

“Ugh, it's you.” Subaru scowls. “How long have you been eavesdropping?”

Laito smirks. “Your accusation hurts me, especially as I was just passing by. But since you two are busy...” He pulls himself straight and shrugs.

For the first time tonight, I sense some hesitation in Subaru's eyes, as if he's afraid of handing me back to his older brother. Yet whatever emotion he feels, it quickly gives way to apathy as he places a hand on my back and shoves me forward.

“Whatever,” he mutters again. “I'm tired.”

I have no choice but to walk up to Laito and let him wrap his arm around my waist. The feeling of his hand slipping beneath my shirt makes me sick. His voice, his smell, it all reminds me of last night.

“Tell me, Bitch-chan, just what were the two of you doing in this dark room alone?” Laito's voice is deceptively innocent, but I've known him long enough to sense the danger underneath that means I need to choose my words carefully.

“We were talking,” I reply.

“About what?”

“That's none of your business,” Subaru growls from across the room. He's stretched himself out on the sofa again, head tilted just enough to keep us in his peripheral vision. “Give the poor girl a break for once.”

Nausea grows in my stomach as I realise Laito's not going to give up until he finds out, whether that means Subaru tells him or he forces it out of me when we're alone. I hold up my injured hand. “I cut myself on some glass out in the garden. That's all.”

“Hm?” Laito takes my hand and inspects the wound. He raises his eyebrows. “And you let another man clean it up for you?”

“Knock it off, Laito,” Subaru snarls.

I should be grateful he's standing up for me, but every retort just tightens the knot in my stomach. I try to slip out from Laito's arm without him noticing, but he catches on and pulls me into him roughly.

“Subaru was the one who offered,” I say.

“Yeah. If you've got a problem, come and talk to me, not her.”

“Problem?” Laito pulls a face like he's just been slapped. Looking down at me, he says in a low voice, “Did you think I was going to punish you, Bitch-chan?”

He looks so hurt that if I didn't know this was one of his games, I'd genuinely pity him. I purse my lips instead of answering.

“To think that you went to someone else instead of me, even if that person is my baby brother...” Laito brushes a strand of hair from my eyes before pressing his lips to mine. He holds the kiss for a long time, his arm pulling me up and into him so that I have to stand on my tiptoes. I'm frozen to the spot, unable to do anything but cling to him and let him have his way.

When we finally break apart, Laito sighs softly and lowers me to the ground.

“You're disgusting,” Subaru mutters.

Ignoring him, Laito moves his lips to my ear. “Your pulse is going crazy, like a scared little rabbit,” he whispers. “It almost makes me want to ravish you all over again.”

The foulness of his words mixed with the honey-smooth tone of his voice is too much for me. Grunting, I shove him off me and throw myself back, stumbling on my feet in my desperation to get away. Laito doesn't try to stop me. He crosses his hands across his chest and smiles as I sprint down the corridor. I don't know where I'm going. I don't care. All I know is that in this moment, I want to put as much distance between myself and this monster as possible.


	6. Deceived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually the inspiration for this whole fanfiction, so finally writing it was very satisfying. I've upped the chapter number to 12, since I can't see this wrapping up within the next six parts.
> 
> Fun fact nobody asked for: The title of this story came from the Sonata Arctice song Ain't Your Fairytale. It just so happened I was listening to it while thinking of a title, and even though the lyrics have nothing to do with the story, the name fits well.
> 
> Thanks to everyone following so far!

“Where are we going?”

Laito glances over his shoulder at me. “I've already told you. It's a secret. You're far too impatient.”

Considering we've been walking for the best part of an hour, I'd say I've been patient enough. The forest is silent around us, the half moon that drifts above the canopy barely lighting the path in front of us and transforming the bare trees into skeletal silhouettes against the sky. If it weren't for Laito leading the way, I'd be completely and utterly lost.

Despite the cold, he's dressed in his usual cut-off trousers and light jacket, while I'm close to shivering in my winter coat. If I'd known we'd be out here for this long, I would have warn thicker layers. Laito had approached me back in the mansion, telling me he wanted to show me 'something special'. Naturally, I'd had no choice but to go along with him.

My foot catches on something, and I stumble forward with a small shout. Luckily, Laito grabs me before I fall.

“Got you,” he says with a grin.

I thank him and pull myself upright before his hands can wander.

After another ten minutes of walking, Laito finally stops, puts his hands on his hips and looks around. “If I'm not mistaken... Yup, I think we're almost there.”

The forest here looks exactly the same as any other part we've walked through. I frown, but decide against asking a third time.

“This way.” Laito points off to the right before marching in that direction. I notice when I reach his spot that there's a second trail, somehow thinner and more overgrown that the one we've been following this far. Even though it hasn't rained recently, the ground is muddy and sticks to my shoes, making each step far more strenuous than it should be.

It isn't long before I notice a large black shape up ahead. As we get closer, I realise that it's some kind of cabin squatting between the trees. Laito runs the last few steps, places a hand against the wood and beckons me excitedly. “Come on, come on.”

We're standing in a small clearing, though from the way the weeds are creeping in, it won't be long until the forest reclaims the space. The cabin is only a little larger than a garden shed, with a sloped roof and a single grimy window. A large water butt stands by the door. The water inside is black beneath a layer of rotting leaves.

“What is this?”

“Just a place I used to visit sometimes.” Laito dips his hand in the water, then flicks it at me, showering me with freezing cold droplets. He laughs as I flinch. “Don't be scared. It's just rainwater.” He picks up an old jam jar lying on the ground and scoops some of it up.

I walk over and check the door. There's no padlock, just a regular latch. Before I can open it, Laito leans over and touches the metal. “Good. Just as I left it.”

He's wrapped a piece of thread around the latch, thin enough that an intruder wouldn't notice it if they weren't specifically looking. It snaps as he flips the latch, then opens and door and ushers me forward.

The moment I step inside the cabin, I'm greeted by the smell of rotting wood. Laito closes the door and steps over to the window. Something clatters before the small space is flooded with light.

Once my eyes have adjusted, I take a look around. On the right sits a chair and a wooden chest, while on the left is an old desk with a single leafy houseplant on top. The source of the light is a battery-powered lamp hanging from a hook in front of the window above the desk.

Yet the object that draws my attention is the huge black cupboard leaning against the back wall. It's perfectly rectangular and reaches almost all the way to the ceiling.

“Bitch-chan.”

I jump as Laito places his hands on my shoulders from behind.

“So, what do you think?” he asks me.

“It's...” I pause. Despite the old furniture and damp feeling in the air, there's an unmistakeable homely feel to this place “It's quite sweet.”

“I'm glad you think so.” Laito giggles and points to the space underneath the desk. “Can you believe I used to sleep right there?”

“Really?” I don't try to hide the shock in my voice. “Why?”

“Because it was the only place I had to myself. When you're trapped in a mansion with five brothers, sometimes you just need a place to escape from the noise.” As he speaks, Laito pulls away from me and pours a little of the water from the jar into the plant. It's an unexpectedly tender gesture. “I still come out here from time to time, even if it's just for a few hours.”

He turns back to me and smiles, and for a moment, he looks deceptively young. The light from the lamp makes his hair shine like polished copper.

“I've never brought anyone to this place before. If any of the others found out, they'd ruin the one thing I have to myself. But you're different. After all, we trust each other, don't we?”

I turn my head away. He knows I don't trust him, but still, I feel a stab of guilt as the image of Handa appears in my head. Luckily, I've managed to hide the sachet of herbs he gave me, and nobody has mentioned anything about seeing a figure in the garden two nights ago.

Laito unzips the front of my coat and is about to pull it off when I stop him. “It's too cold.”

“Allow me to warm you up, then.”

With my coat lying on the floor at my feet, Laito grabs me by the waist and pushes me up and onto the desk. A sudden chill rushes over my shoulders, and I realise that the window behind me is either cracked or not fitted properly.

Laito's lips are at my neck, not biting down, but sucking on the sensitive skin below my jaw. His hand caresses my knee, easing my leg outwards, allowing him to push his body closer to mine.

Lifting his lips, he whispers, “Your skin is like ice, but your blood feels so hot underneath.” He takes his hand from my knee and places his fingertips against the other side of my neck. Somehow, they're colder than my own skin, sending another shiver down my back.

“Hmm, I wonder. Are you shivering because of my fingers, or is that desire I sense in you?” Laito sighs as he trails his lips down my neck. “Alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods, miles away from anyone who might hear us... Don't you think that's the most romantic thing in the world? Doesn't it make you want to scream my name at the top of your voice?”

My heart leaps in my chest. I knew something like this would happen if I came out here with him, but it's not as if I've ever been allowed to refuse his requests. What's more, for the first time in days, I don't sense such a strong danger in him. Of course, I'm not about to drop my guard, but if going along with his teasing gets me out of this unscathed, I'll do what he wants for now.

Plus, there's no denying the growing heat at the pit of my stomach, the familiar mix of desire and repulsion that grips me as I squirm beneath the gaze of his green eyes. I know I'm only reacting like this because he's trained me to do so. Even though the rational part of my mind tells me to put up a fight, my body is addicted to his touch. I want him to hurt me again.

It took me a long time to realise what he meant when he spoke about separating love and lust. Growing up, I always understood acts of physical intimacy to be expressions of love. But now I realise that there is nothing resembling love here. I hate Laito from the bottom of my soul, and yet I tilt my head back as he sucks my collarbone, his mouth leaving dark, wet marks in its wake. He grabs the front of my blouse with both hands and tears it open, ripping the material, exposing my chest to the biting cold, and then his fingers are slipping beneath my bra, squeezing my breasts hard, making me groan.

No, this isn't love, but I crave it all the same.

Pulling back his hands, Laito drops to his knees and rests his head against the inside of my left thigh. “Even through your tights, I can feel how soft your skin is.” He looks up at me and smiles. “I wonder, if I left you here in the cold, how long would it take for your flesh to harden like ice?”

“I don't think it works that way,” I say, a little breathlessly.

“Hmm, you're probably right.” He sighs and caresses my leg with both hands. “Sometimes I think about how I would kill you if given the choice. But then I remember that after you die, your body will turn cold, your skin will harden and start to rot, and I'll lose the warmth of your blood. It would have to be an exceptional death, don't you think? Something that'll stick in my mind _forever_.”

As he speaks the last few words, his hand slides up the inside of my thigh to the heat between my legs. For a moment, I think he's going to slip his fingers beneath my tights, but he pulls back quickly and lifts his head to stare into my eyes.

“So, Bitch-chan. How would you want to die?”

It's never failed to astound me how quickly Laito can talk about subjects like life and death so casually. Perhaps it's because as an immortal vampire, they mean so little to him. He'll never have to face the reality of watching his body weaken or dying of old age. Like so many aspects of his life, it's just another game to him.

“I like to think I'd die in my sleep.”

“How boring.” Laito sticks his chin up like a petulant toddler. “You humans only get one death, so why not make it fun? Personally, I'd like to see you tied up – tight enough that you can't get away, but loose enough that you can still struggle a little. Then I'd cut you all over your body, licking up your blood as I go, seeing how long it takes for your life to slip away.” He sighs again, and his voice takes on a higher, more playful tone. “I think that would be beautiful enough to justify the loss of your life. Having you writhe and beg beneath me as I slowly drain you of your blood—”

He's cut off as I smack my right knee into the side of his head. His expression turns dark for a moment before he throws back his head and laughs.

“Oh, relax. I've already told you, I'm not going to kill you anytime soon.” Laito places a hand on my knee and jerks my legs apart, making me gasp. He places a small kiss on my inner thigh. “You're more fun to me alive than dead. For now, anyway.”

He opens his mouth and bites down through my tights. Instead of a quick puncture like usual, he makes sure to slide his fangs in slowly. I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out.

As Laito laps up my blood, I find my gaze drawn once again to the large black cupboard at the back of the room.

_So, Bitch-chan. How would you want to die?_

Only then do I realise what it is.

It shouldn't surprise me that Laito has a coffin standing at the back of his room. After all, Subaru sleeps in one all the time, doesn't he? Even so, I can't shake the sudden feeling of dread that rises within me.

I look down at Laito. He pulls back his mouth, only to force his fangs back into my leg again, drawing a whimper from my mouth at the pain. He moans softly.

“Delicious,” he finally murmurs, lips shining as he looks up at me. My leg feels wet with the blood that's soaking through my tights. “Give me your hand.”

I hesitate, but he grabs my wrist anyway and pulls me forward, dragging me off the desk to my feet. Shocked by the sudden movement, I stumble, and for the second time today, Laito stands and catches me in his arms.

“What are you—”

I don't manage to finish my question, as Laito places his hand across my mouth and squeezes my cheeks. His other arm clamps me to his chest as he tilts his head down and breathes in the scent of my hair.

“At last, you smell like yourself again.”

I raise my eyebrows and gaze up at him. The look on his face makes my blood run cold. His eyes are narrowed, lips pulled into a thin, straight line. I try to ask him what he's talking about, but that makes him push down on my mouth harder.

When he speaks again, Laito's voice is barely above a whisper. “Don't think I couldn't smell him on you, Bitch-chan. That night you came in from the garden, you _stank_ of him.”

An image of Handa touching my shoulders in the darkness appears in my mind. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I shake my head wildly as I realise my mistake.

“Hm, what's that? Are you trying to speak?” Laito laughs humourlessly. “Why should I listen to you when everything that comes out of your mouth is _lies_?”

On the last word, he lets go of my mouth and pushes me as hard as he can into the coffin. I scream as I slam against the wood, my head ringing with the impact. Before I can recover, he grabs me from behind, wraps a hand in my hair and wrenches my head back.

“I _knew_ I recognised that smell somewhere. It was on your hand that day you came back from town, as well,” Laito growls. “The man at the arcade. Tell me, is he your secret lover?”

“N-no,” I gasp. The world is spinning around me, the pain in my head only intensified by the grip Laito has on my hair. “Let me go.”

“Why should I? Why should I listen to your lies?” A little of the humour returns to Laito's tone. “I gave you a chance to tell me who he was, and you chose to keep on hiding secrets from me.”

“I didn't know who he was. _He_ approached _me_.” Tears are falling from my eyes now. I try to grab at Laito's hand, but he takes my wrist and twists it effortlessly, making me howl.

I don't care anymore. I'll tell him everything I know about Handa. All I want is for him to let me go.

“And why was that?”

“He was w-worried about me,” I blurt out. “He's a vampire hunter.”

“A vampire hunter?”

Finally, Laito lets go of me. The moment I'm free, I crumple to the ground, sobbing but unable to pick myself up. He smirks down at me coldly. “Well, that's interesting. I bet he gave you a lot of bullshit about taking you away and keeping you safe, didn't he?”

I nod.

“Tell me his name.”

“Kazue Handa.”

I should be relieved I don't have to hide this from Laito anymore, but I only feel a more pressing sense of dread. I should never have hidden this from him. Even in my most confident moments, I should have known he'd eventually find out. It's just as he's always said: there's no point in hiding things from him.

And now I'm going to pay for that mistake.

Laito reaches for the jar on the desk and pours it over my head. I shudder as the icy water splashes over me, soaking me from my hair to my blouse. His lips turn upwards.

Somehow, I know what's going to happen before it does. I watch through glass as Laito takes me by the arm and drags me towards the coffin, opens the lid and throws me inside. I try to run out, but he grabs me by the neck and forces me back inside before replacing the lid.

“No!” is all I can scream. I hammer my fists against the wood, throw my whole weight against it, but it's useless. Whatever Laito's using to hold it down, it's working.

I scream Laito's name, begging him to set me free. Yet all I receive in return is a laugh. Laito knocks against the lid twice, his voice heavy with amusement. “Perhaps you can think about what really matters to you while you're in there, Bitch-chan.”

The last thing I hear is his fading footsteps before the world turns black.


	7. Corpse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter represents a turning point for Yui, but man was it a pain in the arse to write for some reason lol. Feel free to drop a comment if you enjoyed!

I'm not how long I spend hammering against the wood, only that by the time I give up, my hands ache and my throat is hoarse from shouting.

This can't be real. He wouldn't really leave me alone here, would he? In all the time I've known Laito, he's never abandoned me like this. A part of me suspects he's standing on the other side of the lid, waiting for me to tire myself out in one of his sick games. But I can't detect his presence in the room anymore. It's safe to assume he's left me here.

My breaths come hard and fast as I place my hands against the walls, working out how much room I have. The coffin is only a little wider than my shoulders, with just enough room for me to spin around in a full circle. There's no space for me to sit down or bring my legs up to push against the lid. The thinnest slither of light creeps through a join above me, but apart from that, I'm submerged in darkness.

A thought hits me. Do I even have enough oxygen in here to last? I try to calm my breathing, but that only makes me panic more, and within a minute, I feel like I'm suffocating.

The water Laito poured over my head has turned icy. Though it was only a jar's worth, it feels like it's permeated every inch of my clothing, soaking me down to the bone. The fabric clings to me like a second skin. I consider stripping, but suspect that will only make things worse in the long run. My leg feels strange from where I've been bitten, almost like I'm slowly losing feeling, and it won't stop shaking no matter how hard I try to keep it still.

Once more, I start to bang my fists against the lid and shout out Laito's name on the off-chance he's still in the room. It isn't long before my cries turn into screams. If there's anyone out there in the forest, I want them to hear me.

But of course, no-one comes.

Panting and shivering, I shrink back into the coffin and close my eyes. I can't save myself. It's almost a comfort, knowing that the option to fight taken away from me. Or maybe I'm just going mad, trying to draw solace from a hopeless situation. I've gotten quite good at that over the last few months.

For some reason, the thought of Handa finding me here fills my mind. He promised he'd take me to safety, didn't he? I should have let him do it that night in the garden. I could have avoided this. But I was too stupid to take him up on his offer.

And now there's nothing I can do but lean back against the wood and surrender to the smothering darkness.

*

“Bitch-chan.”

The voice sounds distant in my head, but I can sense it's coming from somewhere close by. I can barely even force myself to open my eyes, let alone look up.

“Hey, Bitch-chan. Are you alive in there?”

He sounds cheerful, like he's greeting a guest into his room. I hate the way my heart leaps at his voice, though the thought of seeing him again sends a wave of nausea through me.

There's a series of loud _thuds_ that shake the coffin around me. Then the lid disappears and I'm blinded with light. When my eyes are able to focus again, I see Laito standing in front of me, a smile on his face, lamp in his hand.

He giggles softly. “Wakey wakey. Did you have fun?”

I should be angry that he's making jokes, but I'm too drained to feel very much right now. All I can do is stand there as he reaches out a hand and touches his fingers to my wrist. “Hmm, I was half right. You didn't turn to ice, but your skin is absolutely frozen.” His grin widens. “You're even colder than me.”

He's right. His bare skin has always felt cold to me, but his fingers feel normal against my wrist. I can barely feel my own fingertips, anyway.

“There we go. Gently, now,” Laito coos, placing the lamp on the chair so that he can reach out and pull me into him. He wraps an arm around my shoulders while his other strokes my hair, like a parent comforting a child.

“You're still wet. Maybe I shouldn't have poured that water on you... But you learnt your lesson, didn't you?” He pulls back his head, forcing me to look up into his face. His eyes shine in the low light. “You know how generous I am. Don't worry, I'll be happy to teach you over and over. Although I'm guessing this is a lesson that'll sink in, won't it?” He whispers the last sentence in my ear. I want to recoil at his touch, but still, my body won't let me. He could probably start hitting me and I wouldn't even be able to raise my hands and defend myself.

Reaching down, he flips the switch on the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Then he places his hands under the back of my knees and picks me up with a grunt. “I think this is what they call 'princess style', isn't it? Let's get you home.”

 _Home_. For some reason, it's the use of that word that makes me feel the most sick. My home is with the Sakamakis. With Laito. It's more than just a house to me now. It's where I belong.

How can Handa save me from a place that's all I have?

By the time we arrive back at the mansion, the horizon has started to glow with the light of dawn. I make a mental note that I was probably only in the coffin for three or four hours at most. Laito babbled on all through the walk back, although I was too busy dropping in and out of consciousness to take in what he was saying. My body is still mostly unresponsive. I managed to my fingers a few times, but I can't do much more than that.

Laito's footsteps echo against the stone floor of the entrance hall as kicks the door shut and walks to the stairs. I'm expecting him to take me to my bedroom, but instead, he heads towards his own room.

Once inside, he lays me down on the bed and immediately starts to remove my shirt. The wet fabric feels like slime against my skin.

“One down,” says Laito, dropping the shirt on the floor. He takes hold of my tights and slides them off along with my skirt. I feel his thumb brush the bite marks left behind from earlier.

Only when he reaches for the clasp on my bra do I finally flinch.

“What's wrong, Bitch-chan?” he chuckles. “I've seen you naked so many times, you should be used to it by now.” Dropping his voice a little, he adds, “I'd be lying if I told you the sight of your chest isn't turning me on a little, but I'll let you off the hook for now. Besides, it wouldn't be fun with you like this. I have no intention of sleeping with a corpse.”

I should be used to this by now. I should just let his joke wash over me, like every other horrific comment he makes to get a rise out of me. But I feel something snap within me. Though I don't show it on the outside, his words ignite a fire, a hatred that fills me from my throat to the pit of my stomach.

After stripping down to his own pants, Laito pulls the covers out from underneath me and lies down at the centre of the bed. He pushes me onto my side with gentle hands and wraps an arm around me, dragging me back into him so that I'm pressed against his chest.

“You're still so cold,” he mutters, taking the covers and pulling up to my neck before replacing his arm.

Very softly, like it's an afterthought, he says, “I'm not angry that you hid the vampire hunter from me. We all make bad decisions. Just know that I will defend what is mine. _If_ he decides to come back, that is. After tonight, I think it's safe to say he's lost interest.”

The realisation hits me like a train. The reason Laito left me in that coffin for hours wasn't just to punish me. He was testing Handa. Knowing that the vampire hunter had taken an interest in me, he wanted to draw him out with my screams, to see if he would come swooping in the moment he left.

Except Laito never went away. That much is obvious to me now. He was probably in the trees somewhere, waiting for Handa to turn up. A predator waiting for its prey with me as the bait. Which means he heard me every time I battered the lid with my fists and cried his name, yet he did nothing.

“Goodnight,” he says sweetly, planting a kiss against my cheek.

I've made up my mind. Even if it means I have to tarnish my own hands, even if the other brothers rip me apart once they find out what I've done, only one option remains to me now. I'll do it. It's the only way of escaping this hell.

I'm going to take a knife and drive it deep into Laito's heart, over and over, and I'm not going to stop until he's dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be taking a short break after this chapter to recharge my batteries and finish up a couple of other projects I've left hanging for a while now. I should only be gone for a week or two. Thank you so much to all readers so far. Usually, I stick to a strict-ish uploading schedule and wouldn't want anyone to think I've abandoned this fic. I'm excited to write the second half of this, so bear with me until then!


	8. Red Handed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like absolutely ages since I last updated this story! Sorry to anyone who's been waiting ^^' I'm happy to say that finishing this one is now going to be my main priority when it comes to writing, so expect more regular updates.  
> I always struggle a little when it comes to describing which floors in stories. Here in the UK (and I'm sure most countries), the floor that's level with the ground is called the Ground, then the one above is 1st, etc. In Japan, what we call the Ground floor is actually the 1st, then our 1st floor is their, 2nd, etc. It was one of the little cultural differences that I wasn't aware of when I went to Japan last year, and since DL is set in Japan, I've used their system.  
> This chapter was a fun one to write. Comments, as always, are welcome! ❤

I'm woken by the sound of shouting.

For a while, I just lie there, staring at the canopy of my bed. It's hard to work out exactly where the voices are coming from or why they belong to, though from the sound, it's probably somewhere on the floor directly below. Sadly, this isn't the first time I've been woken up like this, and I doubt it'll be the last.

Five days have passed since Laito shut me in the coffin, and my body, at least, has mostly recovered. The first day was the worst. No matter how many blankets I wrapped around myself, I couldn't get warm or stop shivering. The illness was so bad that I couldn't even leave Laito's bed, though he seemed to enjoy playing the role of the caregiver, bringing me food I couldn't eat and holding me as I drifted in and out of consciousness. The moment I was well enough to walk around, I reatreated to my own room. Now the only remnants of my illness are the occasional headache and a blocked nose, both of which are irritating, but mild enough for me to deal with.

It's too bad the mental scars are the ones which linger the most. Every time I close my eyes, I'm bombarded with the feeling of being trapped between those coffin walls, often to the point where I wake up gasping for breath, as if my lungs are being crushed in my sleep. I've never been a sufferer of nightmares before. Since my move to the mansion, sleep has been the one place I can retreat to after a day of horror, but now Laito has managed to strip that last bastion of comfort away from me, too.

The bed frame shakes as something crashes downstairs. Then a deep voice that can only belong to Subaru rises through the floor. Driven by a mixture of curiosity and a sudden pang of hunger, I slip out of bed, change into a light jumper and skirt, and head out into the corridor.

Now that there isn't a door between us, I can clearly hear that it's Subaru and Ayato who are having the row. Ayato is shouting about a broken cabinet – presumably the source of the crash just now – while Subaru retorts that he should be lucky it was only wood and glass that he broke instead of his bones. It'd be funny if I didn't know that both brothers actually possessed the resolve to go through with their threats.

From the sounds of their voices, it appears that they're in the hall at the bottom of the staircase. I want to go to the kitchen for some food, but they're blocking off access, meaning I have two options: either try and go around them and hope they're too busy with one another to bother with me, or wait for one of the other brothers to get frustrated and break them up. Judging by the fact furniture has been broken, it's likely that Reiji will step in soon to scold the pair of them.

A faint whimper makes me turn my head and look along the corridor, where I spot a tiny figure sitting against the wall. Kanato's knees are drawn up to his head, his face tucked between them. I walk over and, making sure to keep a distance between us, crouch down in front of him.

“Kanato?”

He doesn't respond. His shoulders are shaking, purple hair draped over his head in a way that makes it impossible to see his expression.

I have to resist the urge to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. Kanato may look and act like a child, but he's just as deadly and unpredictable as the rest of them.

“Can I get you anything?” I ask him.

Slowly, he lifts his head, and I can see that his arms are folded tightly around his teddy. Tears shine in his eyes. “Make them stop,” he mumbles.

“Subaru and Ayato?” I ask.

“I can't stand it any longer.” Kanato lifts his hands and presses them to his ears. He screws up his face. “They're so loud.”

As if to accentuate his point, the sound of ceramic smashing against the wall pierces the air. It seems that Subaru's started to throw about whatever was inside the cabinet.

“I-I'm not sure I can make them stop.”

Kanato's eyes suddenly fly open. His face twists in rage as he leans forward and barks, “Then why are you here?”

I'm so shocked by his sudden outburst that I almost fall backwards in my attempt to stand. “Kanato, I—”

“Stop pretending to feel sorry for me. If you're not going to help, then don't offer it in the first place.” His voice rises with each word, to the point where he's screaming. “Get out of here. Get out. _Get out._ ”

I back away from him. By the time he's stopped shouting, I'm already halfway down the corridor.

My heart pounds in my throat. I doubt Kanato will follow me, but it's important not to take chances, so I keep going until I reach the staircase leading to the third floor.

I've been living in this mansion long enough to know my way around by now. However, there are some places I rarely visit. The third floor is one of them. Reiji, Kanato and Ayato's bedrooms are located on this floor, along with a bathroom I've only glimpsed once. The rest of the doors are locked, and I have no intention of finding out what's inside them.

Sunset rays stream in through the windows, flooding the corridor with orange. I walk along with quick steps. It'll take me a while, but there's another staircase at the end of the corridor. By going that way, I should be able to avoid Subaru and Ayato and reach the kitchen. My body feels weak from the lack of food, and to make matters worse, my head has started to ache again.

I'm nearly at the end of the corridor when I hear a voice behind me.

“H-hello?”

I stop in my tracks and turn, but there's nobody there. And yet I'm sure I didn't imagine it. Cautiously, I call out.

“I'm in here,” comes the response.

A cold feeling grips me. The voice is feminine and somehow familiar, despite the fact I can't match it to a face. It's also coming from the room I just passed. Ayato's room.

I walk up to the door and pause. It's already open a crack, which surprises me, until I remember that Ayato has always seemed like the one who cares the least about his personal privacy. Apart from Laito, of course, and his door is never locked. I almost don't want to open the door, but I take a breath and push it inwards.

The first thing I see is light. The majority of the back wall is taken up by a window that stretches from floor to ceiling and swamps the room with rays. Shielding my eyes, I focus on the centre of the room, where a pair of sofas stand beside the modified iron maiden Ayato uses as a bed. It's behind that horrific object that the woman lies.

Her eyes widen as she sees me. “It's you. Are you one of them?”

The tone of her voice suggests we've met before. I'm about to ask her who she is when it hits me. The waitress from the café in town, the one who served us our ice cream. I suspected at the time that Ayato's interest in her wouldn't end well.

I never thought he'd go this far.

Most of the woman's body is hidden behind the iron maiden, though I can see already that her neck and one of her cheeks are stained red. I can only guess how long he's been keeping her up here to feed on her.

I need to get her out of here as soon as possible without anyone seeing. No doubt Ayato will punish me later when he finds his prey stolen away from him, but that's not my concertn right now. I take a step towards the woman. She recoils and raises a blood-stained hand.

“T-tell he's if you're one of them,” she stammers.

“I live here, but I'm not a vampire,” I say to her.

“So, he brought you here, too?”

“Not exactly. It's... complicated.” I shake my head. “But that's not important. We need to get you out.”

I continue towards her, but the next words out of her mouth turn my blood cold. “I can't move.”

“What?” I whisper.

Instead of telling me, she turns to her feet. Tears well up in her eyes.

I walk around and look down at her. She's still in her black café uniform, and just about every exposed part of her body, from her neck to her forearms, has at least one bite mark on it. But it's her feet that make my stomach turn. Her ankles are twisted and swollen beneath her socks. The right one is bent at such an unnatural angle it looks like it's been cut off and reattached the wrong way.

I clasp a hand over my mouth. He's broken her ankles to stop her from running away.

“They still hurt so much,” the woman sobs.

My head spins with the grotesqueness of the sight in front of me. I have to swallow down the nausea before I'm able to speak again. “You need to stand.” My voice is shaking.

“I can't,” she says.

“Try. It'll hurt, but you'll die if you stay here.”

I extend my hand down to her, doing my best not to look at her feet. When she refuses to take it, I drop into a crouch and slip a hand around her shoulders. She draws in a breath, as if she's about to cry out. I manage to clamp my palm over her mouth just in time.

“You can't scream,” I say. “If you scream, they'll hear you.”

“They'll hear us, anyway,” she mumbles.

I pull up a mental layout of the mansion. Although I can't hear them, Subaru and Ayato are likely still fighting. Reiji has probably stepped in to stop them by now. Shu is sleeping somewhere as always, and I've already seen Kanato in the corridor. That just leaves Laito. Strangely enough, he's the one whose location I can't predict. There's a chance he's watching the fight between his brothers, but I can't be sure. While I can avoid the others with some confidence, it's him I'm most worried about running into.

But I can't just leave this woman here. If there's a possibility I can save her, then I'll take it.

“What's your name?” I ask.

“Setsuna.”

“Okay, Setsuna. I'm Yui. Wrap your arm around me and hold on tight.”

This time, she does as I say. Once I make sure I'm taking as much of her weight as I can, I haul her upright. The sound she makes reminds me of a nail scratching glass.

“You're doing well.” I hope my voice sounds more confident to her than it does in my head. “You just need to take a step forward.”

“I c-can't—”

“You _can_.” I pause, hoping the harshness of my tone hasn't scared her. But I'm desperate now. If it takes this long for her to make one step, there's no way we'll be able to escape the mansion in time.

An idea comes to me. She's a little taller than me, yet petite enough that I could potentially carry her on my back. “Right, let's try something else. If you hold onto my shoulders, I should be able to...”

I freeze as a sound meets my ears. Footsteps in the hall outside. Hit with a sudden panic, I look around, wondering if there's a place to hide. I even consider throwing open the window and jumping out with Setsuna until I remember we're on the third floor.

The door opens and Ayato walks in. He stares at us, eyes widening as he processes what he's seeing.

“What are you doing here, Chichinashi?” is all he mutters before rushing forward.

His hand strikes my cheek so hard it makes my head spin. Determined not to drop Setsuna, I raise a hand to push him away, but Ayato's twice as fast. He shoves me aside, seizes Setsuna and throws her to the floor. Her scream pierces my ears.

“Ayato, stop!” I shriek. I grab onto his shoulders and try to pull him away, but he wraps his fingers in my hair and jerks me off him.

“Get the fuck off me,” he growls. The tone of his voice is dangerous enough to make me obey.

I watch helplessly as he grabs the sobbing Setsuna by the scruff of the neck and throws her onto the nearest sofa. Her small body is draped across the armrest, head hanging upside down, eyes wide as she stares at me. There's hatred in those eyes, hatred for Ayato, for the world, and for me. I might have tried, but I wasn't able to save her. Now she's going to pay the price for my shortcoming.

Ayato climbs on top of her and lowers his face to her neck. He bares his fangs before sinking them into her flesh. She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. I know all too well what it feels like to be bitten by one of them, but seeing it happen before my own eyes is a new kind of horror altogether.

He groans as he leans into her. His hand seizes her hair and wrenches her head back further, angling her neck so that he can bite down deeper. I can almost hear that sounds of him sucking in my head, the pain of his fangs penetrating my flesh. Somehow, knowing I've been in that position so many times before only makes it harder to watch.

Eventually, Ayato raises his head. His green eyes, so similar to Laito's, pierce me. Blood drips from his lips, and he smiles.

“Let her go,” I say in as firm a voice as I can manage.

“Or what?” Ayato's laugh sends chills down my spine.

I don't know what to say to him. I wish that I had the strength to throw him off, but I know this is all part of his game. He wants me to watch him. My helplessness is feeding him as much as the blood he's just taken from Setsuna's neck.

“Count yourself lucky, Chichinashi,” he says. “Every day you spend in this mansion is another day we let you live. Laito may have claimed you as his own, but it doesn't stop the rest of us from thinking constantly about your blood.”

Ayato turns his eyes downwards to Setsuna's face. He strokes her hair tenderly and plants a soft kiss against her cheek, to which she responds with a soft groan. Then he takes her head with both hands and twists it sharply, producing a sharp _crack_. Only when her head flops back over the armrest and her jaw drops open do I realise he's broken her neck.

“She was useless to me, anyway,” he says with a shrug. “All humans exhaust their use in the end. You should pray my brother disposes of you so kindly when the time comes.”

I want to be sick. I want to scream. But I can't. All I can do is press a hand against my mouth and allow the tears to fill my eyes at what I've just witnessed.

I always knew the Sakamakis weren't human. It's obvious in the way they live their lives. And yet watching Ayato kill someone as casually as if they were vermin reminds me of what I should have remembered all along: I am no more than prey in their eyes. They may pretend to care for me, but it's all a front. Whether it's soon or far in the future, there's no avoiding the fact that I am going to die here in this mansion.

Not wanting to spend a single second more in this room, I lunge for the door, burst into the hall and run as fast I can.


	9. Big Bad Wolf

I look down at the sachet in my hand.

 _A special blend of herbs. Vampire hunters have been using them for years. It's not a poison, but if you give it to a vampire, it'll knock them out._ Handa's words from the night he visited me in the garden return to my head. There's nothing spectacular about the herbs I can see inside the sachet. In fact, they remind me of dark tea leaves. But if what he said was true, then they're my key to getting out of here.

Laito has been surprisingly quiet on the subject of Handa ever since I told him who he was. I've been expecting for him to ask me more questions or at least mention him, but it's as if he never even found out. My guess is that he's waiting for Handa to make his next appearance on his own. After all, Laito's never been one to throw himself into conflict unless it's absolutely necessary.

And then there's a part of me that fears Handa has given up on me altogether.

The sound of the kettle whistling snaps me back to the present. I take it off the hob and place it on the side to allow the water to cool for a few seconds. Despite all their money, the kitchen looks like it hasn't been upgraded in a hundred years, with its white tile walls and antique cabinets, though as far as I know, Reiji is the only one who ever spends any amount of time in here, so I suppose he keeps it how he likes it.

I take the mug of loose leaves I've prepared and add the contents of the sachet. Then I pour in the water and give it a stir.

“Making tea in the dark, I see.”

The sudden voice makes me jump. As quickly as I can, I stuff the empty sachet into my pocket. “Reiji. Would you like some?”

“Tea made by you? I'd sooner drink rain from the gutter.” Reiji walks over and peers down over my shoulder. Handa said the herbs were tasteless, but still I pray that Reiji won't be able to smell anything out of place.

To my relief, he pulls away after a few seconds and sighs. “Try not to make a mess. I except everything to be cleared up by the time you leave.”

I nod.

“Good.” Seeing that there's nothing else he can scold me for, Reiji leaves.

Only when I'm sure he's far away do I allow myself to breathe again. I can't begin to imagine what would happen if he worked out what I'm planning to do.

I blow on the tea a few times and drink it down as fast as I can without burning my lips. It has a slightly bitter taste, though whether that's from the blend of leaves I've chosen or the extras I've added, I'm not sure. I tidy everything up and am about to leave the room when my eyes fall on the knife block.

I pause. Carrying any kind of weapon in this mansion is a sure way to cause trouble for myself, but now I wonder whether it's worth it to have a backup plan. There's no coming back from tonight, either way.

Glancing over my shoulder to make sure I'm still alone, I run through the knives, pick the one with the shortest blade and test its sharpness on my thumb. Then, satisfied it'll do the job, I shove it deep into my pocket.

*

“Bitch-chan, I was about to go looking for you.”

By a stroke of luck, Laito is just leaving his room as I walk down the corridor. He flashes me a wide smile. “How are you feeling today?”

He's gotten into the habit of asking this question whenever he sees me, as if he's not the sole reason I feel ill almost every second of every day.

“A little faint, actually.”

It's not a lie. My head has felt a little strange ever since I drank the tea, though considering the frequency of my headaches nowadays, it's hard to know whether it's a side-effect of the herbs or not. I stumble the last few steps and land against Laito. He wraps his arms around me and holds me against his chest, the scent of his musk filling my nose.

“Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to have me catch you?” he asks with a smirk.

He half-steers, half-drags me into the room and over to the bed, where he lays me down on my back. I pull back the familiar covers and slip underneath them while Laito returns to the door to close it. The moment his back is turned, I remove the knife from my pocket and shove it between the mattress and the bedframe, hiding it from view.

“You know, it's a surprise seeing you here out of choice,” says Laito. “Not that I'm complaining.”

He turns just as I bring my hand up and rest it on my chest. Luckily, he doesn't appear to have noticed the knife.

The other advantage of being here over my own room is that I'm less likely to have one of the other vampires barge in on me suddenly. When I tell him this, Laito laughs.

“Very true. Safe to say that I'll be the only one bothering you for a while.” He sits on the bed beside me and runs a surprisingly gentle hand through my hair, fingertips brushing my forehead, perhaps to gauge my temperature. “Would you like some water? Food? I can run down to the kitchen if you'd like.”

I shake my head. “I'll be fine, thank you. Is it okay to lie here for a while while my head clears?”

A smile lights up his face. “Of course.”

Pulling the covers up my chin, I lie back and try to get comfortable. Laito leans over a kisses me on the forehead. It's such an unexpectedly tender gesture that I almost feel bad for what I'm about to do.

Almost.

My eyes scour the room that's now familiar to me, taking in the drawn curtains, the little table and chairs and the fireplace I've never actually seen lit, before falling on a book resting at the end of the bed. I nod towards it. “What's that?”

“This?” Laito leans over to pick it up. The cover is a little frayed at the corners. “It's an old book of fairytales. Ayato lent it to me.”

Just the mention of Ayato's name is enough to make my stomach twist. Since the scene in his room this morning, I've tried not to think about what I saw, instead focusing my efforts on Laito. It's a task easier said than done. Every time I so much as close my eyes, I see Setsuna's wide, dead eyes staring at me, hear the _crack_ of her neck breaking in Ayato's hands.

“I didn't think you were a big reader,” I mumble, hoping Laito hasn't picked up the change in my demeanour.

“I read. Sometimes.” With a sigh, he drops the book onto his bedside cabinet and returns to combing his fingers through my hair. “It's for school, anyway. We're studying fairytales and different interpretations in literature class.”

“Oh?” Glad for the diversion, I look up at him. “Do you mean Japanese fairytales?”

“Grimm, actually. Ayato's book is a story collection. Kar... Someone I know brought it back from Osaka years ago as a gift for him.” I sense Laito bristle with irritation at his almost mentioning Karlheinz's name.

Grunting softly, Laito climbs over me and drops down on the other side of the bed. The mattress shakes beneath his frame. He taps my shoulder, prompting me to turn onto my side. We lie face-to-face for a few moments before Laito smiles and says, “You remind me of the princesses from those stories. Your blonde hair, your innocence. It's all so unusual.”

I freeze at the word 'innocence'. Wasn't it just a while ago that he was calling me 'corrupted'? It might be my imagination, but from the tone of his voice, he sounds almost jealous, as if he desires a hint of the innocence he claims I have. Personally, I'm not so sure anymore.

“Your hair's unusual as well, Laito,” I say. “You and all your brothers.”

“You forget we're not Japanese. We're not even human.” At the mention of his hair, Laito sweeps a copper lock from his eyes. Then he reaches out and slides his hand beneath my cheek. “I suppose you could say that as demons, we're like the monsters from the fairytales. The trolls and the evil wizards.”

“The Big Bad Wolf. Like in Little Red Riding Hood,” I say without much thought.

Smirking, Laito shuffles closer. “You know, we've been studying that story recently. There are actually several versions not many people know about. Like one when the Wolf tricks Red into eating her grandmother's remains.”

I grimace at the thrill in his voice as he says that. “I heard there's one version where Red kills the Wolf herself before the Woodcutter comes.”

“You're right. It's strange, isn't it? How one story can have so many retellings, it's never quite clear which one is the true version. Though it keeps you on your toes, I suppose, if you're always guessing the ending...”

He suddenly grabs me by the waist and pulls me into him, our faces inches apart. “My favourite is the one where Red escapes the Wolf by seducing him.” As he speaks, he runs his hand down my back until he reaches my thigh, which he squeezes firmly. “And that the Wolf isn't really a wolf, but rather a beast in human form.”

I try not to react to his hand, despite the shivers that the caress of his fingers sends through me. “Most people would do terrible things if it were to save their life.”

“Very true, Bitch-chan, very true. But Red could have escaped through the door or used a weapon to fight off the Wolf. Her seduction might have foremost been a survival tactic, but there was also the desire to tame the beast.” The bed creaks as Laito climbs on top of me and looks down. “I've been around long enough to know that deep inside, every woman dreams of her beast. To be held down and used, all the while knowing that even when you scream and beg, your body is secretly crying out for more. You may hide it to save face, but I'm confident that there's nothing more alluring in your mind than ruination at the hands of a monster. ”

It takes all my effort to tear my eyes from his acid green gaze. “You're wrong.” Yet even as I speak, I know he's got me pinned. Despite my hatred, I can't stop the way my body reacts to him. As usual, I've let his words worm their way into my head and his touch to sink beneath my skin.

He places a hand on my throat and slowly trails his fingers down to the base, each leaving its own trail of fire where it meets my skin. I gasp and arch my back against his touch.

“Am I?” he asks with a chuckle.

Before I can answer, he lowers his head and steals my words away with a kiss. Seconds pass, and he lifts his mouth just enough to whisper, “Defy me, then.”

I raise my hands as he kisses me again, but instead of pushing him away, my fingers tangle in his hair, drawing him closer to me. A soft moan grows in his chest. His tongue curls around my own, his lips moving in hungry, frantic rhythm that I do my best to match.

“Bitch-chan.” Laito's voice is shallow and breathy as he pulls away. Without waiting for me to recover, he dips his head lower and latches onto the side of my neck. Suddenly, all that fills my head is the dizzying pain of his fangs in my throat and the sound of his frantic gulps as he downs my blood.

Handa may have assured me that the herbs in my bloodstream were undetectable to a vampire, but I still can't stop myself from feeling a stab of panic that Laito will notice a change in the taste. Luckily, as each passes, it becomes more and more apparent that even if he's picked something up, it won't stop him from greedily devouring my blood. I squeeze his hips between my knees and push my head back into the pillow, trying hard not to cry out at the intense but familiar pain of his fangs. I'll endure as much of this as I have to tonight. It'll be the last time, after all.

Withdrawing sharply, Laito pulls down my shirt and bites the base of my neck. I wonder how long it'll take for the herbs to start working. Will he gradually grow sleepier, or will it he suddenly pass out on top of me? I feel like a timer has started counting down. Whether the end result plays in my favour or his I've yet to find out.

When he comes up for air again, gasping and trembling, I take the opportunity to push him onto his back and mount his hips. He grabs me by the waist and looks up expectantly. The sudden switch from lying on the bed to sitting up, combined with the blood I've just lost, makes my head spin, but I grip Laito's shirt in my fingers and manage to keep my balance.

He giggles softly. As his mouth opens, I catch a glimpse of his fangs and the blood that clings to them beore his tongue darts out and licks it off. The sight makes me feel sick. My neck feels wet from where he's bitten me. I resist the urge to reach up and wipe it off.

“Bitch-chan, I...” Laito's words fade, and for a moment, his eyes glaze over. My heart leaps. Are the herbs starting to take effect, or is it just my wishful thinking? Either way, I pretend not to notice.

Out of the many times Laito and I have been intimate, I can only remember a handful where I was allowed to take any kind of lead, so I can't help but feel a growing anxiety as I reach down and unzip his trousers. A sound between a sigh and a moan escapes his lips when my fingers brush him through his underwear.

I don't bother getting undressed myself. The moment I've freed Laito from his underwear, I climb on top again and position myself over him. My legs quiver a little at the anticipation of what's about to come.

With one hand on my waist and the other wrapped around the base of his cock, Laito slowly guides me down. I'm wet enough that the head slips in without much resistance, but I still buck my hips at the feeling of being stretched around him.

He begins to thrust upwards into me, taking me by surprise. If it weren't for the hand on my waist, I would have pulled away, but I bite my lip and allow him to slide inside my heat. I place my hands on his chest to steady myself. Even when I'm on top, Laito always manages to make it clear that he's the one in control. His fingers grope every inch of flesh they can reach, slipping beneath my shirt to dig sharp nails into my bare skin.

I start to move on top of him. Following the instincts of my body, I roll my hips back and forth, unable to keep back the grunts that escape my lips. Laito matches my movements with thrusts of his hips, each timed skillfully enough that I feel I'm going to burst every time he slides into me.

For all my hatred, all the hours I've spent wishing I had never set foot in this mansion, I'm shocked at how comfortably my body moulds to Laito. I have to remind myself that this is only physical. I can't help that I shudder under his touch, that the sound of his moans send waves of desire pulsing through me.

He brings a hand towards my face, but it falters in the air and falls back to the bed. Once again, I notice a glassiness take over his eyes, almost as if he's seeing something that isn't there.

It's the herbs. They're finally taking effect.

“Laito.” I fall forward onto his chest. He grips my back weakly.

“I feel... strange,” he mumbles. “Your blood... Let me get my energy back.”

I almost laugh at the irony of what he's just said. “My blood is poisoned, Laito.”

He blinks a couple of times, as if letting my words register in my head. “Poi...son?”

“Mm.” I've never been one to gloat, but there's something poetic about the shock on Laito's face.

He watches me reach over and snatch up the knife from beneath the mattress. It's as if he's been paralysed. The only part of him that reacts is his eyes, which widen in alarm as I raise the blade high above his chest and drive the point deep into his heart.


	10. Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had an idea about how to organise this story. Usually, I don't bother with Part 1, Part 2, etc. and just organise fics by chapters, but considering the plot, I actually like the idea of wrapping up these ten chapters so far in their own little section. At the end of the day, it doesn't affect the story itself and is just an aesthetic choice for me lol
> 
> As always, thanks to all readers so far!

For a few seconds, Laito simply stares at the knife in his chest. It's sunk in deep enough that it can stand up on its own, though I'm reluctant to take my hands away just yet. I feel like all the air has been knocked from my lungs, and my grip on the handle is the only thing keeping me grounded.

Finally, Laito lifts a hand and reaches for the blade, but he stops in mid-air. A shrill gasp rips from his throat, and his body starts to tremble. I recognise the reaction all too well, having experienced it enough times at his hands. He's panicking.

With a grunt, I wrench the knife from his chest. Blood sprays from the wound, showering my front and a large portion of the bed with droplets. The smell of it on my face, the warmth and taste of it, makes me want to throw up on the spot.

I thought I'd be prepared for this. From the moment I decided to get rid of Laito, I've played this scene out in my head so many times that I didn't think anything could shock me. But now I realise that there's a huge difference between imagining violence and experiencing it first-hand. I've never hurt anyone like this before. Laito always made it look so easy.

Turns out I'm more naïve than I thought.

Laito grabs my knife hand by the wrist and tries to pull me off him, though his grip is weak. I'm not sure whether the poison or the blood leaving his body is affecting him more. Normally, I'd have no chance of fighting him off the moment he grabbed me, but I'm just able to pull my wrist free and plunge the weapon into him again.

It doesn't go in as deeply this time. The tip glances off one of his ribs, the knife slips in my fingers and I lose my hold on the handle. Laito throws back his head and shrieks through gritted teeth. His body convulses beneath me.

While I want to keep going and finish the job, I know I can't take more of this. My hands are already trembling. I wouldn't be surprised if at this point, I'm running on adrenaline alone. From the looks of it, Laito's weak enough that he's not going to follow me, and that's good enough.

Leaving the knife inside him, I climb off and slip to the floor. My legs threaten to buckle beneath me, but I force myself to move around the end of the bed and approach the window. No doubt Laito's scream was loud enough to draw out every vampire in the mansion. I fear I only have seconds to get out of here.

The window is operated by a simple latch, which I throw open. The blast of night air hits my face like cold water, jolting me to my senses. I've already planned this part. We may be on the second floor, but all the rooms on this side of the mansion have trees growing outside of them. So long as I'm careful, I should be able to make my way down.

I swing my legs over the sill and sit down. I'm about to reach out for the nearest branch when a weak voice behind me moans, “Why?”

I turn my head to see Laito lying on his front. One hand clutches his chest, the other reaching out, dragging his body across the bed. Blood and tears stick his hair to his face. “Bitch-chan... Why?”

 _Ignore him._ The words repeat themselves over and over in my head like a mantra. Yet I can't stop from feeling a stab of guilt. I should be happy. This is my revenge for all the torture he's put me through, all the times he's abused me and insulted me with a smile on his face. Now that face is screwed up with pain, I don't feel even a slither of satisfaction.

But it's not the time to think about that now. Turning back to the tree, I lean out from the window and take hold of one of the thicker branches within reach. My heart beats in my throat. I've climbed trees as a child and know more or less where to put my weight, but I've never been this high up. After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I push off from the sill completely.

The branch holds my weight. Relief floods me. I resist the urge to look down, instead focusing on getting to the branches closer to the middle of the tree, which will provide more stable footholds. I only need to climb down a few feet before I'll be at a suitable height to drop to the floor.

It's a task easier said than done, especially with the blood on my hands making each branch slippery beneath my grip, but eventually I make it. A grunt escapes my lips as I hit the grass. Then I turn and start to run.

I'm not sure where go to. Honestly, I'm surprised I've even made it this far without being intervened. I could escape into the forest, but it's so large, I can see myself getting lost easily. The road seems like a better idea. There will be cars I could flag down for a lift. Where I'm planning to go, I'm still not sure, though at the moment, my only priority is getting away from this place.

I'm almost at the road when something catches my eye. A figure stands up ahead, blocking the way.

My heart drops.

_No._

I should have expected this. I should have known I'd fail at the final hurdle. Still, it feels unbelievably cruel that I've come this far only to be captured again. I consider heading back to the forest and trying my luck there. That is, until I notice something.

The figure isn't moving towards me. What's more, I recognise the silhouette, though it's nobody from the mansion.

Just like when he appeared to me in the garden that night, seeing Handa here in the darkness is a surreal experience. Then again, after all the things that have happened tonight, I have little right to be surprised.

I sprint the last stretch and collapse into his arms. Handa squeezes me so hard, it's like he's worried I'll fall apart should he let go. I'm afraid I might. Tears begin to stream down my face, and my shoulders have started to tremble again. Undeterred by the blood that covers me, he places a hand on my head and smooths my hair down.

“I've got you, Yui,” he whispers. “It's over now. You're safe.”

**PART 1: PREY**

**END**


	11. Discovery

**INTERLUDE**

**DISCOVERY**

In the darkness of the kitchen, a single figure stirs. Reiji opens up the fridge, filling the room with artificial light, and searches the shelves. It doens't take him long to find what he's looking for: a tub of barbecued meat leftover from a dish he cooked a few days ago. He doesn't usually eat at this hour, but he's just opened a bottle of red wine in his room, and the meat, he imagines, would go perfectly with it.

He closes the fridge, walks over to the hob and places a pan on top. Only as he reaches for the gas knob does he notice the specks on the counter.

He sighs. The one thing he asked that girl to do was to clean up after herself, and she couldn't even do that properly. At this point, he's not sure if it's normal human uselessness or her lack of care as a person.

Grumbling to himself, he sweeps the specks into his palm and examines them. Then he frowns. The tiny leaves aren't like any tea he's ever come across. Certainly, it's nothing he's bought for the household himself. He raises them to his nose and sniffs. Nothing. As a conoisseur, he's usually able to identify tea by its smell alone. For it to be odourless strikes him as highly unusual.

Reiji walks over to the bin and rifles around with one hand, finally pulling out a white paper sachet. It's been crumpled into a ball and hidden beneath the rest of the rubbish. His frowns deepens as he flattens it out between finger and thumb and peers inside. Sure enough, the same tiny leaves that sit in his palm cling to the inside of the sachet.

A feeling of dread has begun to build in Reiji's chest. He's not quite sure what this means yet, though he has a suspicion, and it isn't good.

It only takes him a minute to find Shu sprawled out on one of the sofas in the sitting room. Just the sight of his brother is enough to make his skin crawl with irritation. Usually, he tries to have as little to do with the man as possible, but this is something only he can help him with.

“Shu.”

The blond cracks open an eye to look up at Reiji. Then, in a slow, sleepy voice, he mumbles, “What?”

Trying not to grimace at the mere sound of his brother's voice, Reiji holds out his hand. “What do you make of this?”

Shu stares down at the leaves before his eyes. “I don't know... It looks like soil.”

“I think it's blackthorn.”

At that, Shu's ears prick up. He raises his head a little and sniffs. “I can't smell anything.”

“It's the leaves. They've been dried and used to make tea.”

Both of Shu's eyes are open now and staring at Reiji. “By Yui? How would she even know to do that?”

“I'm not sure.” Reiji withdraws his hand and purses his lips. Shu's confirmation only deepens his concern. Blackthorn berries emit a sweet smell and have the power to send vampires to sleep, but their leaves, while producing the same reaction in their kind, are more or less undetectable to even the sharpest nose. It's been a long time since Reiji has come across them. To imagine they'd turn up in his own home is shocking.

Shu pushes his hands above his head and stretches. Then, to Reiji's shock, he stands up from the sofa.

“Show me where you found them,” he says.

Reiji nods and leads him back to the kitchen. It's unusual enough for him to see Shu up and about like this, let alone interested in something he has to say. Then again, this is no ordinary situation.

Shu walks over to the surface Reiji motions to and examines it closely. “Where do you think she got it from?”

“I don't know. It's not even native to Japan. Unless she picked it up from a trader without us noticing...” Reiji shakes his head. The idea is ludicrous. Yui seldom leaves the mansion alone, and there's nowhere in town for her to buy such ingredients from. This whole situation reeks of foul play.

“You know, Reiji, I'm surprised you didn't notice something else,” says Shu, straightening.

“And what's that?”

Shu flicks his chin in the direction of the hob. “The knives.”

Reiji looks over. Sure enough, one of the kitchen knives from the block beside the hob is missing. His breath hitches in his throat. He's about to say something, when a distant scream pierces the air.

Both brothers look up at once. They're used to hearing loud noises in this mansion. The walls are thin, after all. However, it's rare to hear one so anguished, and coming from someone they recognise, at that.

Reiji lowers his head to look at Shu. Their gazes meet, and what Reiji sees staring back at him are eyes filled with alarm. His mouth feels dry as he whispers, “Laito.”

**INTERLUDE: DISCOVERY**

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Blackthorn is actually a real-life plant used to deter evil beings in the past. In the UK, we usually call the fruit sloe berries, and they can be used to make jam or gin. Perhaps they can be used to drug vampires, too. Guess we'll never know. :)


	12. A Touch of Warmth

**PART 2**

**HUNTER**

I slowly make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where stands over the counter, slicing up a carrot. He turns as I approach and smiles. “Good morning.”

While a glance at the clock on the wall tells me it's already gone seven in the evening, I return Handa's greeting. His smile deepens, and he motions to the kettle on the side. “Feel free to make yourself a drink. I boiled it a few minutes ago.”

Usually, I'm not one to drink anything after waking up, but a tea sounds good right now. I walk over and prepare a cup. As the steam from the water rises up to my face, I steal a glance at Handa. Once again, I'm taken aback by how normal he looks, considering what he is. On the other hand, it's likely he's chosen his look precisely _because_ it's unexceptional. Everything about him, from his short brown hair to his simple jeans and shirt combination, represents a man who's gone out of his way to blend in with his surroundings. I can only imagine it plays to his advantage in more ways than one.

“I'm surprised to see you up this early. Thought you'd want to sleep a little more,” says Handa, sliding the board of carrots into the boiling pot on the hob.

I shake my head and fake a smile. “I'm wide awake.”

I'm not in the mood to tell him that I've barely slept. It's been almost a full day since he brought me here to his apartment on the edge of town, and I've spent the vast majority of that time in the guest room he provided for me. I remember the first hour perfectly: washing the blood from my hair in the bathroom sink, changing into new clothes, crawling into bed. The incident with Laito has left me with a hypervigilance for my surroundings that I'm sure won't be disappearing anytime soon.

But at least, as I grasp my mug with both hands and let it cool for a minute or so, I feel better now than I did when I first arrived here. Handa told me I was 'safe', and while I suspect that's far from the truth while the Sakamakis are still so close by, there's something calming about being this man. And to think that the first time I saw him, I was so unnerved by his stare. His eyes still hold that same empty look, though I feel far less threatened by it now. Just like the rest of his appearance, it's become a part of who he is.

Twenty minutes later, the two of us are sitting down at the table. The apartment isn't big enough for a dining room, so we sit in the kitchen together. The platter between us is piled with boiled vegetables and steamed packet dumplings.

“I always find that plain foods are better when you're not feeling great,” says Handa, picking up vegetables and placing them on top of his rice. “Spicy foods mess with the stomach.”

I look down into my own bowl of rice and try to imagine how long it's been since I last had food I didn't have to prepare myself. Reaching out with my chopsticks, I select a piece of courgette and put it in my mouth. He's right. Despite how empty my stomach feels, the taste is almost too much for me to handle alone. It's completely different from the tea, which warmed me from the inside out, though I know I have to eat something solid if I'm going to get my strength back. I force myself to swallow and take another piece.

“Thank you,” I say. “For this.”

“You don't need to thank me for sharing food with you,” says Handa with a small laugh.

“I mean for saving me.”

His voice drops a little. “Well, I could hardly let you go on as you were in good conscience. Besides, I only gave you the means to save yourself. You were the one who did it all.”

The memory his words conjure up, my knife entering Laito's chest, his body bucking beneath me, his scream, make me feel sick all over again. Then again, it's not as if I haven't spent the last day reliving every moment of what happened in that room on my own.

Eager to change the subject, I look around the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it's got a warm, slightly outdated aura to it, from the yellowing tiles to the stains at the corners of the lino flooring. “This apartment... Do you live here alone?”

“Sometimes. As vampire hunters, we're assigned to a certain territory in the country, so I have to move around a lot. This is just one of my bases, though I don't usually a lot of time here.”

That makes sense, I think. From first glance, the apartment appears lived in, but when I look more closely, there are telltale signs that back up what he's saying: the lack of photos on the wall, the dust on the lightshade above our heads, the slight musty smell that permeates the air in every room. Even the Sakamaki mansion was better looked after than this thanks to Reiji's diligent cleaning routines.

“So, there are more than one of you,” I say. “Vampire hunters, I mean.”

Handa looks at me as if I've just asked him what colour the sky is. “Of course. We more or less work alone, but occasionally band together in times of need. Vampires are demons. They hunt and kill out of necessity. Most of the time, my job is to put down vampires that have become too greedy or started to change others to become like them. Purebloods like the Sakamakis have had deals with my kind for hundreds of years. We don't touch them and they don't touch us.”

“But you've broken that rule yourself, haven't you?” I ask before placing a clump of rice in my mouth. It's a little easier to swallow than the vegetables.

“True. The moment I saw you, I wanted to take you away. I almost did that night in the garden. But then you told me you didn't need saving, so I changed tactics. You had to decide for yourself what you wanted to do.”

When I stay quiet, he waves his chopsticks in the air dismissively. “But perhaps we can wait until after dinner for that conversation.”

We spend the rest of the meal exchanging noncommittal small talk. Then, once the empty bowls have been stacked and the leftover food pushed to one side of the table, Handa places one hand on top of the other and leans forward in his seat. “Now, Yui. I know it's probably not something you want to think about, but I need to know. What did you do to Laito Sakamaki?”

My throat feels dry before I even open my mouth. “I stabbed him.”

"Where?"

Handa's insistence makes me stammer a little. “I-in the chest. I aimed for the heart.”

His breath hitches in his throat. “Purebloods can normally only be killed when their heads are removed or their bodies are damaged beyond repair.”

An image of Laito dragging himself himself along the bed, calling out to me, worms its way into my head. “He was still moving afterwards. Talking, too. Kind of.”

Handa's mouth pulls into a tight line. “Then I think we can safely assume that no matter how much you injured him, he's still alive.”

I feel relief sweep through me. As much as I hate Laito, I only wanted to escape him, not kill him. If I'd ended up taking his life, it would probably haunt me for the rest of my days.

“What do we do about it?” I ask.

“There's not much we can at this point. I imagine the rest of the brothers are out looking for you. If not them, then their familiars will be. While I'm anxious to get you as far away from them as possible, I don't think leaving this house is the wisest choice at the moment.”

The thought of the Sakamakis looking for me sends chills down my spine, but Handa's brought up another issue that's been playing on my mind for a while. As horrible as it was, the mansion was my only home. I have nowhere else to go.

Sensing what's on my mind, Handa reaches across the table and places his hand on top of mine. “It's going to be all right, Yui. I know this whole situation is a shock. You've become so used to living with those monsters that any change is going to feel strange. But you've been so brave all this time. A sweet girl like you shouldn't have to go through those kinds of horrors.”

I let his words wash around me and feel a tiny smile rise at the corners of my lips. “Thank you.”

“And, of course, you're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want. You're safe within these walls.”

Perhaps it's because I'm not used to kindness being shown towards me nowadays, but I feel my heart swell. There's no need to rush things. Unlike back at the mansion, where every day was a matter of survival, I have room to relax here and consider my next steps. Most of all, I have time to heal.

It's the second time Handa's assured me of my safety at his side. Maybe, just maybe, I'm starting to believe him.


	13. Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We reached a thousand views! I never imagined this story would become so popular when I first wrote it, so thank you to everyone who's left a comment, kudo, or is just reading along. It means the absolute world. <3

Handa's words are such a comfort to me that it's only later on, as I'm standing in front of the bathroom mirror while the tub fills up, that a sense of unease starts to set in again.

Perhaps it's because I've just removed my jumper, revealing the fang marks Laito left along my neck, one pair on the side below my jaw and the other just above my collarbone. The bruising around the wounds has faded from a dark blue to a sickly shade of yellow-brown since my brief wash yesterday. Vampire bites always take less time to heal than normal injuries, but I'm still going to be left with these for a week or so. I lift a finger and press against the marks at the top, wincing as a bolt of pain shoots up my throat.

“ _You look so beautiful, Bitch-chan.”_

The sound of Laito's lilting voice is so clear in my head, I jump. When my eyes focus on the mirror, I can see him standing behind me. The copper waves of his hair brush against his bare shoulders as he wraps a pale hand around my neck and pulls me back.

I close my eyes and lean into him, succumbing to the touch that lights a fire in me while simultaneously leaving me so cold. His phantom breath tickles my ear as he whispers, “You have such a pale neck. How long would it take for me to turn it all red, I wonder?”

This isn't my imagination anymore, I realise, but a memory. A time when I'd only recently arrived at the mansion and Laito had cornered me alone. I didn't resist back then and I don't now. Vaguely aware of the filling bathtub but paying it little attention, I tilt my head back and let him trail his fingers over my neck, pulling the hair to expose more skin for him to fawn over. His other hand clasps one of my breasts. A moan falls from my mouth, and I arch my back against him, rubbing my legs together to satiate the need that only grows and grows the more he touches me.

I feel so small in his arms, so powerless. Not protected against the world as in the embrace of a lover, but sequestered from it. He is the villain. The hunter. The wolf. And yet I can't pull away.

The feeling of something touching my toe makes me look up. I catch a brief glimpse of myself in the mirror, my own hand wrapped around my neck, before I turn my attention to the floor. With a spike of alarm, I realise the bath is overflowing. I shut off the taps and plunge an arm under the water to loosen the plughole.

The illusion still hangs heavy in my mind. Never in my life have I ever imagined something as vivid as that. Why am I still thinking about Laito? All those weeks, I just wanted to be free of him and the hold he had over my body. Now that I am, my mind won't let me rest, even to the point where I'm dreaming of him. Maybe it's borne from a lack of sleep, and I'm turning crazy like those women I used to read about in old English horror novels, trapped in a tortured cycle of guilt and terror until I end up taking my own life.

I look down at my hands, and I can almost see the blood clinging to them, the stench of it filling my nose, though it's long been washed off. I may not be a murderer, but never had I imagined myself capable of stabbing someone. Maybe this is what Laito was talking about when he called me 'corrupted'.

Suddenly, my body feels dirty again.

I've stripped to my waist and am about to remove my underwear, when the door handle moves. I only have a moment to grab a towel before the door opens and Handa walks in.

“Yui, I forgot to mention, the soaps are in the cabinet...” He pauses as his eyes find me.

My cheeks are already turning red under his gaze. The folded towel covers my chest, but not much else. “Thank you.”

I wait for him to go, but he doesn't. Finally, he rubs his eyes with a thumb and finger, but it's only moments before he returns to staring. “I'm sorry. Those marks on your neck... It's hard for me to see that.”

“Oh.” Instinctively, I raise my hand to cover them. “It's fine. I'm used to it. They'll look cleaner after my bath, anyway.”

I hope he takes the hint and leaves. He doesn't.

The door clicks shut behind him, and I can't help but shift nervously on the spot. I hope this is all part of some misunderstanding, but a growing sense of unease tells me it's not.

“I just want to have a bath,” I say as firmly as I can manage.

Handa doesn't respond. He walks forward slowly, his eyes never leaving my face, until he comes to a stop before me. His arms encircle my shoulders and pull me into him.

“Even now, when I imagine about what he did to you, I feel so angry,” he mutters into my hair.

Despite the softness of his voice, shivers trickle down my spine. “It's fine. Like you said, it's over now.”

“It is.” Handa runs a hand through my hair. Then he tilts my head up and kisses me.

For a moment, I'm too shocked to do anything but accept his lips on mine. His other hand drops to my waist, but I manage to pull my face away and take a step back before he can draw me closer.

“Handa, I don't like you that way,” I say, head spinning.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly a little disappointed. “So, you'll open your legs for that filthy vampire, but not the one who saved you?”

His words cut through me like a heated blade. “H-how can you say that?”

Before I can stop him, he grabs me by the arms and forces me over to the sink. The towel falls from my chest, but I no longer care. All I can think about is pushing Handa away from me. He's stronger than I expected, pinning me against the mirror, the tap digging painfully into the small of my back.

“Yui,” he moans softly into my ear. “From the moment I saw you, I knew where you belonged, and it wasn't in that mansion.”

My heart is pounding in my head. Is he implying that I should have been with him all along?

“You're scaring me!” I almost scream the words at him, hoping with all my soul that it'll knock some sense into his mind. But as I do, I realise what I should have realised all along. The fact that's been hanging in front of my face from the moment I met him, so obvious, yet never crossing my mind. Until now.

“You're one of them, aren't you?” My shaking mouth can barely form the words. “A vampire.”

I pray he denies it, says I'm being ridiculous, but the slight smile on his face as he pulls back does more to confirm it than words ever could. My chest suddenly feels tight.

“What gave me away?” he whispers.

Every part of me wants to fight him off, but I'm paralysed in his gaze. The only word I can manage is, “Why?”

“Why what? Why steal you away from that place?” Handa's smile deepens. “The Sakamakis are mere children. When you've been alive as long as I have, life becomes... a little dull. You play games with yourself to pass the time. For me, the greatest game is the hunt. What better thrill than to steal the prey right from the nose of not only a pureblood, but the son of the Vampire King himself?”

My shoulders quiver, though whether it's more from fear or rage, I can't tell. Knowing that all of this has been a game to satiate his own twisted desires makes me feel sick. I've run from one monster into the arms of another.

Handa's hands travel up my bare sides before cupping my breasts. He traces hard circles around my nipples with his thumbs while his fingers dig into my ribs. My head hits the mirror hard.

“To think how many times he violated this body...” Handa pulls me forward suddenly, tilting my chest upwards. I whimper, and a single word leaves my mouth.

He stops.

Only as the silence unfolds do I realise what I just said. It wasn't so much a conscious thought as an instinct, a cry for help to the last person in the world who's likely to come and save me at this point.

Handa's voice is shaking as he asks, “Did you just say Laito's name?”

I stay still, trying not to look into his eyes. A growl rips from his throat. Then he grabs me by the hair and jerks me back again.

His lips brush my ears. “After all he's done to you, still you call for him. Do you think he's coming for you?” Leaning into me so closely our chests are almost touching, he says, “You stabbed him, remember? This is all your doing. Now, accept your fate and _behave_.”

On the last word, he slams my head into the mirror one last time. The impact is enough to make me see stars. Through dazed eyes, I watch him lower his head to my neck.

“These bite marks are hideous. I'm going to make sure you never think about Laito Sakamaki again.”

His tongue traces the marks at the top of my neck. Then, with a grunt, he bites down. His fangs sink in deep enough to make me shriek. I writhe beneath him, thrashing out with my legs, trying desperately but failing to push him away. I can feel his teeth tearing open the skin, as if his goal is not only to drink my blood, but shred me up so badly it erases the wounds Laito left behind, as well.

My hand leaves his shoulders to feel around the surface beside me. Before long, my fingers close around something cylindrical, and I realise with a start that it's a glass toothbrush holder. I pick it up and swing my hand into the side of Handa's head.

The glass cracks against his skull. A sharp pain runs up my wrist from where some of it splinters off into me, but I grit my teeth and try to ignore it. All that matters is that Handa unlatches from my neck.

I waste no time in kicking him away and sliding out of the sink. The moment my feet hit the ground, I lunge for the door and throw it open, and then I'm racing through the hallway. I take the stairs three at a time, hit the ground and sprint for the door, all while Handa screams my name from upstairs. By some miracle, the front door isn't locked. Hardly paying a second thought to my bare chest or the blood leaking from the side of my neck, I burst out into the cold night.

The world spins around me. I'm in the middle of a street, though I can't see any people around. Buildings line the side of the road. Forcing my legs to move, I hurl along forward under the dim lamp lights. If I can just reach a main street, somewhere with shops or bars that are still be open at this hour, I'll be able to find some kind of help.

The sound of someone calling out fills my ears. For a moment, I think Handa's caught up with me. That is until a figure approaches me from the front. I'm almost on my hands and knees, howling and weeping, as he throws his coat over me. He's still shouting, but his words wash over me. His voice is unfamiliar. That's all I care about now.

As darkness closes in around my mind, I feel my head collide with the cold ground. The next thing I know, I'm being picked up, cradled in someone's arms and carried away from this nightmare. It's the last thing I remember before the world turns black.


	14. Homecoming

I stare at the grey floor, hunched over, as people move around me.

I'm not sure how long I've been here. Hours? It's hard to keep track of time when my head feels so heavy. And yet whenever I let my eyes droop, something always stops me from falling asleep, as if my mind is constantly trying to claw back consciousness, afraid of what will happen should I drift away.

Several people have spoken to me already. Officers in blue uniform, all with the same concerned look on their face. One lady even put her arm around me as she led me to an interview room. But of course, I could only answer the most basic of their questions. They asked me about my bite marks and where I'd gotten them from, why I'd been naked in the street, where I'd come from. I can't remember half the answers I gave them, only that they must have been satisfactory, as after a while, the questions stopped. Or perhaps they'd just realised that I was in no state to talk about what had happened in detail and given up asking.

The sound of a door swinging open meets my ears. I don't look up. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an officer's feet walking into the room. But then a second figure enters. My heart sinks. From the polished black shoes and the refined, graceful gait, I can tell who it is at once.

“Thank you, Officer.” Reiji's deep voice cuts through my thoughts. He walks over and stops before me. I look up slowly. His expression is completely neutral, controlled, though I can sense the anger buried in his eyes all too well.

“Yui.” He bends down on one knee before me and stares into my eyes. “I've come to take you home.”

 _Home._ The word sounds so cruel on his lips. But I have no energy to argue, so I simply nod.

“She needs plenty of rest,” says the officer still standing by the door. “The moment she starts deteriorating, take her to a hospital immediately. Do you understand?”

“Of course. Believe me when I say that she will looked after impeccably.” Reiji straightens and offers me a gloved hand. I take it and allow myself to be pulled to my shaky feet. He slips an arm underneath mine. It's all an act in front of the Police, I know, but a part of me is grateful for the support. Without it, I feel like I could collapse.

The officer, a thin, bald man in his forties, nods. “We have just about enough information to pursue our suspect at present, but should she remember anything else, report back to us straight away on the number we've given you.” He shoots a glance at me, and his expression softens a little. “No pressure, though. The most important thing at the moment is Ms Komori's recovery.”

 _Suspect._ I frown in confusion until I remember telling a group of officers about Handa. Naturally, I skipped the part about him being a vampire, only that he abducted me off the streets and took me back to his apartment. From the sound of things, Reiji's already been told the details.

His fingers dig into my arm through his gloves, reminding me of the time Laito and I went to the cafe with Ayato and he scratched my hand on the table. It's a subtle threat, but one that I immediately understand the meaning of: if I run, I'll die. This station may be overly-white and sterile, but it feels like the last safe place in the world.

“I couldn't agree more,” says Reiji. “We've all missed our Yui. I'm just so glad she's safe.”

*

The drive back the station seems longer than usual. Perhaps it's due to the silence that every second feels like it's being dragged out. I glance over from the passenger seat at Reiji. It's surprising to see him drive, considering that every journey I've taken with the brothers so far has been chauffeured by one of their servants.

The heavyness of my head has subsided a little since leaving the station, replaced by a pressing sense of dread at the thought of returning to the Sakamaki mansion. Reiji hasn't said a word to me all this time. He simply stares ahead, the passing streetlights illuminating his face with splashes of light every couple of seconds. I was expecting some kind of scolding once we were alone. Somehow, the silence is far worse.

When I can't stand it anymore, I say, “I'm sorry.”

Reiji doesn't take his eyes from the road, though I notice his jaw hardens at my words.

“I shouldn't have done what I did. It was stupid of m—”

Before I can finish my sentence, he slams down on the breaks, bringing the car to a screeching halt. The seatbelt digs into my neck.

“R-Reiji?” I stammer.

He turns suddenly and grabs me by the scruff of the neck. Rage lights up his scarlet eyes. For a moment, I fear he's going to slap me with his other hand, and brace myself for the impact. But it never comes.

“Shut up,” is all he growls.

Slowly, he withdraws the hand holding me and leans back in his seat. My heart beats in my throat, my head spinning at the suddenness of his outburst, and how close I just came to being struck. The car rumbles as he puts it into gear and continues along the road.

By the time we pull up outside the mansion, I feel sick.

The building looms above me, a black shape in the night, as much a presence as the monsters who live inside it. I feel my breaths begin to thin. I place my head in my hands and concentrate on breathing deeply in an attempt to counteract the new wave of panic that closes in around me.

Reiji unclips his seatbelt and gets out of the car. His feet crunch against the gravel outside. Then he opens my door and snaps, “Get out.”

I lift my head from my hands and reach for my seatbelt with shaking hands. Clearly irritated by how slowly I'm moving, Reiji sighs, grabs me by the wrist and wrenches me from the car. The door slams shut behind me. Ignoring my cries of protest, he drags me towards the mansion.

I catch a glimpse of someone with silver hair walking up to meet us.

“You found her.” Subaru's words aren't a question, but a confirmation.

“The police station,” Reiji mutters back, throwing me forward. Subaru catches me before I hit the ground.

“What the _fuck_ do you think you were playing at, huh?” he growls at me, though unlike Reiji's cold anger, there's relief mixed in with his tone, as well. He wraps an arm around me and half-guides, half-drags me up the steps and through the front door.

The old, slightly musty of the mansion hits me straight away. I look around the entrance hall with wide eyes, expecting to have the rest of the brothers lay into me straight away for escaping, but thankfully, it's empty. In fact, it's only when we're halfway up the stairs to the second floor that a harsh voice calls out to us.

“Oi, where are you going with her?”

A glance over my shoulder shows me Ayato stalking across the hall towards us. His teeth are bared.

“Up to her room.” Subaru's arm tightens protectively around me. “She needs to rest.”

But Ayato doesn't listen. He bounds up the last few steps and grabs me by the shoulders. “You think you're pretty clever, don't you?” He leans into me, pushing his face up against mine. “If Laito doesn't kill you for what you've done, then I'll fucking do it myself. Just watch me.”

“Ayato,” Reiji shouts. The sound of him raising his voice is so rare that it stops the redhead on the spot, giving Subaru a chance to swing me away.

What sticks with me, though, are his words. Just like Handa suspected, Laito is alive. I'm not sure whether that fills me more with relief or fear.

“Yui, are you okay?”

Only when I look up into Subaru's concerned face do I realise I've started shaking. “I'm fine,” I mutter.

He purses his lips, clearly not believing me but reluctant to press me further.

Pushing Ayato aside, Reiji says, “Now is _not_ the time. In fact, there are things we need to discuss right away now that we're all here together. I imagine Yui's had plenty of rest at the police station. Come on.” Without giving anyone room to argue, he struts back down the stairs. Ayato shoots me one last furious look before following.

Subaru groans in exasperation. “Family meetings. Just kill me now."


	15. Decisions

We gather in the sitting room. Shu is already there, stretched out along the length of a three-seater sofa, head resting back against his forearms. Reiji takes the armchair for himself, while Ayato, Subaru and Kanato, who's appeared from one of the adjoining rooms, spread themselves out among the remaining seats.

I sit alone in the middle of a sofa. The fact that nobody has chosen to sit by me makes me feel like I'm about to be interrogated. I catch a glimpse of Ayato staring at me from across the coffee table, his green eyes like daggers, and quickly turn away.

The only person missing is Laito. I assume everyone's waiting for him to arrive until Reiji clears his throat and says, “Well, I won't bother prefacing this meeting. Believe me when I say I don't want this to drag on any longer than it has to, either.”

I frown as I realise we're not going to wait for Laito. Noticing the change in my expression, Kanato cocks his head to the side. Like Ayato, he's been staring at me from the beginning, hugging his one-eyed teddy to his chest, though instead of anger, his expression is filled with intense curiosity. Somehow, it's more unsettling than his older brother's death glare.

“Course we know what this is about,” says Subaru, folding his arms over his chest. “ _Someone_ brought a vampire hunter to our home.”

Although nobody outwardly reacts at his words, I can sense the air turn even icier. Clearly, this is a subject they've talked about before.

Summoning the courage to speak up, I say, “He isn't a vampire hunter.”

All eyes turn to me. Kanato leans down and whispers to his bear, just loud enough for me to hear, “Hey, Teddy. Who gave _it_ permission to speak, I wonder?”

Reiji ignores him. “That much is obvious from those fresh marks on your neck. The Police had questions about that, as well. Suffice to say, you've attracted their attention now.”

“You mean we have to deal with the cops coming around here, too?” Ayato growls, hands balling into fists.

“Luckily, I don't think that'll be the case. I was able to to talk to the officers in detail. Yui gave a description of her attacker and said that he was mentally unstable with a horror fetish. Biting and scratching play, that kind of stuff.”

It's not until Reiji tells the others that I remember telling the Police what he's just said. After all, who would believe that vampires exist in real life if they hadn't seen them with their own eyes?

“As long as we don't have cops poking their damn noses around here,” grumbles Subaru.

“On the contrary, we can expect a visit in the near future,” says Reiji. “It's likely they'll want to check up on Yui to make sure her injuries are healing.”

Ayato scoffs in annoyance while Kanato leans forward on the sofa. “Does that mean we can't play with her?”

“ _Stick to the point._ ”

The voice is barely more than a mumble, but it takes command of the room. I look over at Shu. His eyes are still closed, chest rising and falling gently with each breath. If I hadn't just heard him speak, I'd still think him to be asleep.

Reiji sighs. He's clearly irritated at having his spot as leader of the meeting taken from him by his older brother, but agrees with him nonetheless. “It's true. We have a problem on our hands here, and arguing isn't going to produce solutions.”

“ _Produce a solution_ , then,” snaps Ayato in a mocking rendition of Reiji's voice that makes the latter narrow his eyes.

“There are six of us and one of him,” Subaru cuts in. “What makes him think he can even stand a chance?”

Taking a deep, calming breath, I decide to try speaking again. “If I may, Handa said the reason why he lured me away was because he wanted to take me away from someone else.” Even saying the words out loud makes my skin crawl. “Now that he's done that, he might decide to give up.”

Reiji steeples his fingers beneath his chin and shoots me a scathing look, but it's Shu who answers. “Absolutely not. That you ran away will give him more of an incentive now to get you back.”

“As a race, we're not inclined to give up what's ours,” says Ayato. “Especially not Laito. He obviously sees this as a personal game between himself and Handa. Maybe that's the reason why he didn't tell us—”

“Didn't tell you what?”

I freeze. All eyes apart from Shu's turn to the top of the balcony, where I can see out of the corner of my eye a single figure leaning over the railing. He pulls back slowly and makes his way down the stairs. The silence that takes over the room is so tense that I can practically feel his footsteps against the carpet.

When he reaches the sitting area, Laito takes a seat beside Subaru. I can't bring myself to look him in the face, but my eyes scour his body, searching for any signs of injury. He seems completely normal. Eerily so.

“As Ayato was saying, it's highly likely Handa will return,” says Reiji. “He'll try to slip in under our noses, but he doesn't need to hide himself completely anymore. Therefore it might be better to take the fight to him.”

Reiji continues to speak, but his words soon become background noise in my mind. Just like back at the police station, a white fog has begun to overtake my thoughts. I shoot a glance at Laito. His expression is completely neutral, unchanging, as if it's been carved from stone. The only place I can sense any kind of emotion is his eyes, which seem to have sunk a little deeper in his head since the last time I saw him.

It isn't long before a plan is worked out. I'm only half listening, even though it seems to revolve around me. At this point, I don't care. The fact that I'm back here in this sitting room, surrounded by the monsters that have tormented me over the past few months, means I've already lost. Whatever happens from now on is beyond my control.

As if I ever had any control in the first place.

With the meeting wrapped up, the brothers begin to disperse. Laito is one of the first to leave. I follow him out of the room. He hasn't looked at me once during the meeting, and he continues to ignore me as I tail him through the corridors, calling out his name but receiving no response.

Only when he reaches his room does he finally turn and look at me.

“What?” The word is ice on his lips.

Caught in his hollow eyes, I suddenly find myself unable to speak. I catch of a glimpse of his room through the open door, the bed looking as good as new a mere forty-eight hours after it was stained so deeply with blood. It seems like longer than that. The now-familiar image of Laito lying in his own mess, howling in pain as he drags himself towards me, reappears in my mind. All along, I just wanted him to make him feel a fraction of the pain and humiliation he's put me through. The man standing in front of me has clearly felt both in equal measures.

“I-I'm sorry,” is all I manage to stammer.

For a moment, something flashes across Laito's expression. A tightening of his lips that could just as easily be rage as pity. I don't know why, but I want him to smile that usual sadistic smile at me, to run a hand along my cheek and whisper something awful to me. But instead, he retreats into his room and closes the door without a word.

“You must think you've gotten off pretty lightly, huh?”

I turn to see Ayato leaning against the wall behind me, arms folded across his chest. It's obvious he saw the whole exchange.

“I'm surprised he's holding back right now,” he continues. “I certainly wouldn't in his position. Then again, you haven't seen him angry while you've been gone. He told me he's going to take you down to the dungeon and break your legs to stop you from getting away, then peel the skin from every one of your toes.”

A grin spreads across Ayato's face. He's clearly trying to get a reaction out me. Thankfully, I manage to keep a straight face despite the horrific mental image his words conjure up.

“That won't happen. You need me to help capture Handa,” I say flatly.

“True,” says Ayato. “But after that, you're disposable. I only hope Laito lets me stick around to join in the fun.”

He pulls away from the wall and heads back towards the staircase, leaving me alone in the corridor. For once, I can't hear voices rising up through the floor, and Laito doesn't appear to be moving around in his room. The silence feels oppressive.

I may have only been back an hour, but already it seems like things have changed in ways that can't be reversed.

It's all too strange, and I don't like it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was fun having all the brothers together in this chapter, even if just for a brief conversation. One chapter to go!


	16. The Greatest Game

A breeze tears through the forest, stirring up wet leaves from the floor and bending the treetops above me. I hunch down closer to the ground in an attempt to conserve the last drops of warmth coursing through my veins. It may not have rained recently, but the undergrowth is soaked anyway. The moisture feels like it's creeping through my socks and reaching under my skin. It's a grim reminder of the night Laito locked me in the coffin in the cabin and left me to freeze half to death after telling me he knew about Handa.

I'm not that far from the cabin, in fact. I recognise the trail, though it's too dark for me to see anything that isn't in my immediate surroundings. My eyes scour the trees for what feels like the thousandth time. With the wind, it's hard to tell whether each noise is the sound of a person approaching or simply debris being blown around.

He's out there. I know he is. Perhaps he's even watching me now, waiting for the right moment to close in. After all, it's obvious that my being here is no more than bait to draw him in. Someone with Handa's slyness is likely to see through that straight away.

On the other hand, I doubt he can resist the scent of my blood. My left forearm is covered in it. A memory of Reiji drawing a knife down from my wrist before leaving me out here appears in my mind. It hurt so badly at the time, but now I can barely feel anything; whether that's from the cold or the blood loss, I'm not sure.

Minutes pass. Maybe hours. It's impossible to tell.

Then, at last, something shifts off to my left. I look up to see a figure standing between the trees.

The sight of Handa makes me tremble. Though I can't see his eyes, I feel the weight of them boring into me. It's only been a day since I was at his apartment, but seeing him here gives me the same surreal feeling I got when Laito walked into the living room early tonight.

“You can come out. I know you're there,” he says. It takes me a moment to realise I'm not the one being addressed.

Behind me, a branch snaps beneath someone's shoe. Then a laugh, high and lyrical, meets my ears. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Laito comes to a stop behind me. I don't dare look at him. My eyes fall to the floor at Handa's feet, where they remain fixed.

“Regrettably, I can't say the same for you, Laito Sakamaki.” Handa spits the name like it's venom.

“No matter. I'm honoured to be infamous enough that people I've never met hold a grudge against me.” Laito places a hand on my head, and a shiver travels down my spine. It's strange to hear him talk in such a lighthearted tone again, considering how aloof he was earlier, though my gut tells me it's all an act, put on in front of Handa. With Laito, it's often hard to tell.

“This seems in rather poor taste, even for you,” says Handa, gesturing towards me. “Using the girl as bait to lure me out here.”

“But it worked, didn't it?” Laito giggles again before lowering his voice. “Sometimes we all have to act in poor taste to get the things that we want, don't we?”

The moment he's finished talking, Laito reaches down. His fingers easily encircle my wounded arm just above the elbow, and he drags me upwards. A sudden hot flush spreads across my forehead, causing my body to slump and my knees to give out underneath me. It doesn't affect Laito. He's strong enough to hold me in place as if weigh no more than a bundle of straw.

“Look to yourself as an example, Handa. You stole my Bitch-chan away from me. Too bad she ended up running straight back into my arms.”

Despite the stars dancing across my eyes, I can still make out the slight stiffening of Handa's shoulders. Laito hums triumphantly. Clearly, his reaction is just what he was hoping for.

Tightening his grip on my arm, Laito pulls me up higher so that my wrist is level with his ear. He closes his eyes and runs his tongue from the base of my cut to the top, lapping up the half-congealed blood. I whimper and screw my eyes up at the pain.

The sound that falls from Laito's mouth is halfway between a sigh and a moan. “How does it feel knowing you had her and lost her?”

It's obvious that for whatever reason, Laito's trying to rile Handa up. Perhaps he wants to make him so annoyed that he'll attack blindly, leaving himself open for an easy counter. So far, it seems to be working. I know first-hand how easily Laito's words can sink under the skin, and in this case, his every taunt seems to be cutting Handa to the bone.

When he speaks, the man's voice is deathly strained, as if it's taking all his effort not to shout. “You're forgetting something. I never stole her away. She simply used the tools I gave her to make a decision.”

Anger flashes through me. While he's technically correct, Handa deceived me. He lured me from the mansion with the promise of safety, only to turn me into his prey. I still remember him standing in front of me in the bathroom, smiling as he told me that stealing me away from Laito had been no more than a game for him.

“What is it, Bitch-chan?”

I lift my eyes to see Laito staring down at me. For a horrifying moment, I think I've whispered something out loud, until I realise he's probably noticed the change in my pulse through my skin. It's the first time we've looked at one another since he shut the door on me back in the mansion, and despite the act he's putting on in front of Handa, there's still a hatred for me in his eyes that makes me want to shrink to the ground.

Seeing I'm not going to respond, Laito pulls me up further and slips a hand behind the back of my neck. Somehow, his fingers are even colder than my skin.

“Say...” His voice drops to a whisper. “How about you prove to Handa just who you belong to?”

Trapped in his glare, I feel my lips part. I'm ready to say that I don't belong to him. But in my heart, I know I'm wrong. No matter how hard I fight, no matter where I run to, I'm fated to remain here in his arms forever. It feels like a curse handed down from God, a punishment that repeats itself over and over, like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill or Prometheus having his insides torn out by the eagle. There's no escaping Laito. We're bound to one another.

And so I raise my head and kiss him.

Laito's fingers curl in my hair. His mouth is surprisingly warm against my icy lips, the taste of the blood he licked off my arm earlier lingering on his tongue. Holding one another like this, we mimic a pair of lovers.

I've only just pulled away when I hear a low growl. Handa lunges towards us. He swings for Laito, who only just manages to leap back in time. Then the world turns black.

For a split second, I feel like I'm being crushed on all sides, compressed to the smallest of particles until I'm little more than the air itself. The next thing I know, I'm suspended ten feet above the ground.

It takes me a moment to realise that Laito has teleported with me to the branches of one of the nearby trees. Panic floods me. I buck and kick against Laito, until it hits me that might not be the smartest idea.

Down on the floor, Handa glowers at us with gritted teeth. “Get your filthy hands off her, Sakamaki.”

“Why?” Laito calls down, then pauses as if he's just realised something. “Oh, don't tell me...” He throws back his head and laughs. “Could it be that you actually _love_ her?”

Handa says nothing.

“My, this _is_ an interesting development,” says Laito. “A vampire like yourself falling in love with a human. I suppose it isn't unheard of. Perhaps in another world, we could have shared her, you and I. After all, I'm not adverse to having my property taken from me, so long as it's returned in good condition.”

“Shut up,” Handa growls.

It could be my imagination, but there's a thrill in Laito's voice that suggests he's genuinely enjoying this part. “Love is nothing more than shackles binding you down,” he says. “What Bitch-chan and I have transcends something as simple as love. I _adore_ her, you see. Every time our skin touches or I taste her blood, it's like a blissful marriage union.” He lets out a trembling breath. “I'm getting excited just thinking about it now. You claim to love a woman you haven't even—”

“That's not true,” Handa cuts in. Finally, there's a hint of a smile on his face.

“Oh?” Laito leans into me. “You didn't tell me that, Bitch-chan.”

It might just be wishful thinking, but I can't sense any jealousy in his tone. In fact, he sounds enthralled. He likely already knows that the reason I didn't tell him about what Handa did was that he didn't give me a chance. Not that he wouldn't have found out in time, anyway. I can still feel the bite marks Handa left behind on my neck, a constant nagging ache at the back of my mind.

“Laito, please put me down,” I mumble.

He snickers softly against the back of my head. “Why don't you have your lover catch you, then?”

Before I can stop him, he throws me forward. I barely have time to scream as the ground rises up to meet me. I brace myself for the impact.

But it never comes.

Handa catches me effortlessly in his arms. I gasp, my head spinning with the shock of what's just happened. The air feels like it's folding around me again, and then Laito appears above me.

His punch catches Handa straight in the jaw. I hit the ground as he stumbles back, groaning and clutching his face.

Laito winces and shakes out his hand. “Look at what you made me do! Damn it, this is why I hate fighting...” He chuckles. “No matter. With any luck, this won't take long.”

“You're right about that,” snarls Handa.

The pair of them stand a few yards apart, each daring the other to make the first move. I throw myself backwards, trying to put as much space between me and them as I can. I've seen vampires fight before. I know how violent petty squabbles between brothers can get. This, on the other hand, feels completely different. There won't be any backing down here, no intervention from an outside source. They're going to fight until one of them is dead.

After what feels like a lifetime of squaring up, Handa loses patience. He lunges for Laito, fingers curled into claws that swipe at his neck. Laito dodges the attack easily. He grabs Handa's wrist and ducks beneath his arm, reappearing on the other side of him.

“You're better than I thought,” says Laito. “For turned scum, that is.”

I've never heard the word 'turned' to describe a vampire once before, but I imagine it means he was transformed into one from a human. Does that mean Laito's stronger than him as a pureblood?

Handa grunts in anger. His arm is bent behind his back at an almost impossible angle. Laito could probably snap it in half with a single move, but instead he lets go and kicks him, sending him stumbling forward into the dirt.

“I guess that'll just make it more humiliating when I rip your fucking head from your shoulders,” Handa spits.

Pushing off from the ground, he tears towards Laito . The action reminds me of a wolf leaping onto its prey. He aims for his neck again, scratching and punching with such speed that it's hard to keep up. Somehow, Laito manages to evade or block every attack.

But then something shifts in their fighting pattern. Instead of going in for another punch, Handa sticks out his foot and hooks it around his opponent's ankle. Laito manages to save himself from falling, but the momentary lapse in his defence gives Handa the opporunity to whip something from his pocket. He swings it at Laito, who only just manages to catch his wrist before it meets his face.

My heart leaps. It's a dagger, long and needle-thin. The blade glints in the dim moonlight.

“Silver, eh?” Laito smirks. “And here I was thinking that you were going to play fair.”

I remember Subaru telling me once that a silver blade to the heart will kill even a pureblood vampire straight away. It's the reason why there's not a scrap of the metal in the whole mansion.

I feel like a set of invisible chains around me have broken, breaking me from my stupor. Forcing myself to my feet, I take a step forward and shout, “Please just stop this. You don't have to fight.”

I'm hardly surprised when my words are ignored. What I don't expect is for Handa to suddenly pull back, wrap an arm around my waist and throw me over his shoulder. We speed through the forest at an impossible pace, weaving through trees and over bushes. I have a feeling where we're headed before we reach it.

The cabin door is old and rotten enough to crack in half beneath his foot. The familiar smell of damp wood fills my nose as we step inside, bringing back violent memories of the night I spent trapped here.

“Stay here and keep your mouth shut,” Handa hisses, throwing me to the ground.

I wonder if he knows what significance this place has to Laito, or if he just thinks it's an abandoned hut he passed on the journey here. Either way, I feel sick being back.

“My, my.” A figure darkens the doorway. “Running already?”

“I'm going to give you one last chance to back off, Sakamaki. We both know this won't end in your favour,” says Handa, baring his dagger. His shoulders are trembling with each breath. Could it be that he's already exhausted?

“So that you can walk away with what's mine?” Laito voice drops a little. “I don't think so.”

Handa is about to stand, when I reach out and grab his wrist without thinking. He turns his head just enough to look at me while keeping Laito in his peripheral vision.

I don't know why I care for the man who kidnapped me and assaulted me, but still, I beg, “Just go. You can run away from all this. You don't have to fight each other.”

A hint of pain flashes across Handa's face. It reminds me of Laito standing in his doorway, the flash of emotion that had lit up his dead eyes once I'd apologised to him. I know now that it's a sign of indecision.

Slowly, he pulls away from my hand. I don't try to stop him again.

Handa raises his blade and hold it like a sword, to Laito's amusement. He brushes a lock of copper hair behind his ear and says, in a confidence voice brashly at odds with his lack of weapons, “Shall we?”

Snarling, Handa leaps for Laito. The pair of them duck out of the door into the open, and I run to the doorway, helpless to do anything but watch. Their movements are so fast, it's hard to keep track of who's on top, so instead I follow the blade, which appears as a flash of silver slicing its way through the air, often a hair's width away from Laito's face.

Handa grunts as Laito's elbow meets his stomach, folding him in half. The redhead is just about to kick him again, when Handa twists out of the way, grabs hold of his jacket and pulls, staggering him for a fatal moment. It's all the time he needs to bring his dagger down.

Laito shrieks as the blade enters his thigh. Handa leaves it in for a few seconds before jerking it out again, earning another agonised gasp from his opponent. Clearly dazed by the pain, Laito stumbles back a step, leaving himself open for Handa to raise the dagger, dripping with blood, above his head.

“No!” I scream.

Before Handa can land the killing blow, Laito grabs his wrist. He lifts his other hand, but Laito catches that one, too. Pain contorts his face. It seems to take all his effort just to hold Handa at bay.

With the moonlight shining down, I can see that Laito's leg isn't the only place where he's bleeding. A dark circle has appeared over his heart. I think with a bolt of horror that he's been stabbed, until I realise that he wouldn't be standing if that were the case. More likely, thewound I gave him that night has reopened during the fight.

Laito growls through gritted teeth, though it's clear that Handa's close to overpowering him. In one sharp movement, he throws Handa's arms down and vanishes into the air. Handa spins just as Laito reappears behind him.

My hands fly to my face.

Laito freezes. His eyes fall to the knife, buried to the hilt beneath his ribs. He raises an eyebrow, as if he can't quite believe the sight in front of him.

Handa twists the knife a little, then pulls it free. Blood flies out onto the leaves. Trembling, Laito staggers back and collapses onto the ground.

“For all your boasting, for all your bloodline, you still couldn't best one of your own,” mumbles Handa.

Laito clutches his wound with one hand while trying to push himself up with the other, only for Handa to drive his boot into his side, knocking him onto his back. A voice in my head screams at me to run over and help, but I'm frozen to the spot. What's more, Handa's glare warns me that I'll meet the same fate if I intervene.

A series of coughs rip their way from Laito's throat. His body is trembling, convulsing, just like the night when I stabbed him in the chest. Handa kneels on top of him, the tip of his blade hovering an inch from his neck.

“You mocked my idea of love.” Handa's tone is as calm and level as a sheet of ice. “Too bad I know all about you, Laito Sakamaki. I know that the one you love is deep in the ground.”

In spite of his injuries, Laito still manages to shudder with rage. He reaches for Handa's face with clawed fingers, but the older man grabs his wrist and twists it.

“Do you want me to tell Yui who she was? Shall I tell her what you did?”

It's obvious that Laito's had past lovers. Women he seduced, drank from, probably even killed, knowing his nature. I've known all this from the beginning. So, why would he be so guarded about one particular person?

His eyes flick towards me, wide and full of terror. I can do nothing but look back at him.

“On the other hand, maybe that a story for after I've killed you. We can take our time, Yui and I. I'm sure there are _lots_ of things she'll be interested to hear about.” As he speaks, Handa runs the tip of the dagger from Laito's jaw to his collarbone, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake. His lips part in a soundless scream.

I can't watch this. Even if Laito has done worse things to me, the sight of Handa torturing him is too much for me to bear. And yet my eyes refuse to pull away. I feel like I'm seeing the whole scene through a sheet of glass.

A sound like dry wood rubbing together rises from Laito's chest. At first, I think he's just groaning in pain. Then he makes the noise again, and this time, it sounds like words.

“Not going... to die...”

“Hmm?” Handa lifts an eyebrow.

His fist smacks into Laito's face so hard I can hear the sound of their bones meeting. Any normal person would have been knocked cold by a blow like that, but by some miracle, Laito is still conscious. His eyes roll back into his head, and he gasps. A droplet of blood rolls from his nose.

I have the feeling Handa is going to draw this out as long as he can. He knows Laito is too weak to fight back. He probably doesn't even have that much time left, what with the stab wound to his guts.

“Tell me again,” says Handa. “A little louder, this time, so that Yui can hear.” He wraps a hand in Laito's hair and lifts his head a couple of inches off the ground. “I want those to be the last words she hears from you. One final, pathetic memory to carry in her mind while I'm fucking her later tonight.”

At his words, something finally snaps inside me. A flash of rage, red-hot and blinding. My eyes are drawn to a fallen branch at my feet. It's about the length of my forearm, as thin as a whip and young enough to still have its leaves. I bend over and pick it up.

Then I run forward.

Fuelled by a surge of strength, I draw the branch back and swing it as hard as I can into the back of Handa's head. The impact is enough to make him freeze.

Laito seizes the opening. One moment his head is in his enemy's hand. The next, he tears free and pushes himself up. His teeth clamp down on Handa's throat, crushing skin, flesh and sinew. Handa tries to pull back, but Laito is latched on tightly. He's about to slash his dagger down into Laito's back, but I manage to grab hold of him and pull back with all my strength.

With a grunt, Laito tears his head away, taking part of Handa's throat with him. Handa shakes, eyes wide and glassy. Then he drops the dagger in his hand. I snatch it up and hold it defensively, preparing myself for a counter-attack.

But it never comes. Handa's throat resembles a gaping, screaming mouth, leaking blood down his front and all over Laito's face. He's swaying, quivering, trying to speak but finding it impossible as his life bubbles out of the hole in his neck. I place my hands on his shoulder and give him a push. He topples over onto the floor like a doll.

For a long time, nothing happens. Laito's desperate breaths fill my ears. I can't bring myself to look at him, or the one why lies beside him. The smell of blood is so thick in the air that I feel like I might throw up all over again.

At last, something shifts. I look down to see Laito pushing himself to his feet. His face is more red than white. Gasping with the pain, he takes hold of Handa's wrist and begins to drag him in the direction of the cabin.

It's a long, slow journey, but eventually, he makes it to the doorway. Once inside, he throws Handa to the ground and proceeds to roll him along with his boot. I can tell from the way he heaves that it's taking all his strength just to move him.

The coffin stands at the back of the room like a black pillar. After suffering through another violent round of coughs, Laito bends down and picks Handa up by his jacket collar. He shoves him inside the coffin, slams the door shut and slides the latch across.

A muted _thump_ fills the room as Laito collapses to the floor. He's completely still apart from the frantic rise and fall of his chest. I assume he's passed out until he turns his head slightly and reaches an arm towards me.

“Bitch-chan... Come here.”

I'm still holding the dagger in my hand. Both the blade and the handle are slick with blood. With one blow, I could take Laito's life. End it for good this time.

The dagger clatters against the floorboards.

Laito wraps his arm around me as I lie against him and rest my head against his chest. It's a position we've fallen asleep in many times before. Only now, instead of his soft skin against my cheek, there's blood sticking my hair to my face.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel. Perhaps 'numb' is the best word I can use to describe it. I feel like I could sleep for days, and yet my body ripples with energy, as if an electrical current is spreading across the surface of my skin.

“Laito,” I whisper.

He waits a while before responding with a weak, “Hmm?”

“The woman Handa was talking about. The one you loved. Who was she?”

Laito holds his breath for a few moments. Then he begins to laugh. The sound of it is contagious, and it's not long until I'm laughing along with him. I don't know why, exactly. I guess it feels nice.

“I didn't die,” he mutters. “Looks like I won't be joining her in hell just yet.”

The tone of his voice makes me think that's all I'm going to be getting from him for now. But maybe I'm okay with that. My mind is too clouded to process any information, anyway. As the energy drains from my body, I'm overcome with the desire to close my eyes and let myself drift.

“Let's lie here for a while,” says Laito. Like me, he seems to be on the verge of passing out.

Gathering my last scraps of strength, I pick up a lock of hair that's become glued to his nose and smooth it out between my fingers before dropping it at the side of his head. Laito sighs appreciatively and holds me more tightly.

Through the smashed doorway, I notice that the sky has lightened a little. It won't be long until dawn breaks across the horizon. I'm usually asleep by this time, but today, I want to stay awake long enough to watch, even if it means fighting to keep my eyes open.

When the sunrise finally hits, it dyes the sky shades of purple and orange so vivid they seem surreal. I want to wake Laito to show him, but he's completely still beneath me, breathing soundly. A part of me feels disappointed he couldn't stay awake just a little bit longer. No matter. This is something I can enjoy all by myself.

I nestle my head against Laito's chest and stare out of the doorway through heavy eyes. It's beautiful.

Just like a fairytale.

**PART 2: HUNTER**

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've reached the end! It feels so strange to think that this was the second ever Diabolik Lovers story I started. I've had so much fun writing this and hope I've done the characters justice. Thank you so much to everyone who's left comments, kudos or simply read along. Your support has made this fic what it is today and been the biggest encouragement during the writing process.
> 
> I love writing for this fandom and have so much more planned. Maybe even a sequel to this one (though I'm not making promises yet lol). Feel free to check out the other fics on my profile. If you enjoyed, please leave a comment! I welcome all feedback, good and bad, and love reading every review posted. :) ❤


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